Going Home (A Dumping Ground fan fiction) ON HOLD
by undoubtedlylyd
Summary: After her mum left, Emily thought that she and Dad would be together forever. But now, sent to live at Ashdene Ridge care home, Emily at first struggles to fit in. But one of the 'Dumping Ground's residents, Ryan, takes an interest in her and persuades her to take matters into her own hands, leading to new friends, enemies, and even romance. Set during Series 3.
1. 1: Emily

**I love The Dumping Ground, the stories and acting are so good! Ryan is my favourite, hence why he'll feature a lot in this, but the character list hasn't been updated, so I couldn't put him as a main character! *Why* Hopefully they'll fix it soon, anyway, enjoy! xx**

 **(As of Dec 2015, the character list has been updated at my request, so all characters up to and including Series 3 have been added.)**

* * *

Chapter 1: Emily

Emily Anderson locked the door behind her as she entered the house, leaving the keys in the bowl on the table. She took school bag with her as she went through to the kitchen for a glass of water. She ran the tap and filled the only clean glass that was in the cupboard. The sink was full of dirty dishes, and the table had empty crisp packets and beer cans all over it. She sighed, leaving the room and heading for her own bedroom, passing the crumpled cans and empty glass bottles on the stairs. Just because she hadn't cleaned the kitchen in a while. She would have to tidy up later.

Emily sat on her bed in her small room. Her converse clad feet dangled off the edge of the bed, just brushing the floor. She was tired, worn out. She had put the empty glass on her bedside table. She was waiting for her father to return home. She had woken him up from a drunken sleep for work. It wasn't his fault. Her mum was the one who left, and her dad had to look after her alone. So he had turned to alcohol for comfort.

She looked on the floor for her pair of faded blue skinny jeans to change into. She undid her tie and dropped it on the floor where the jeans had been. She found a loose dark green t-shirt in the laundry basket in the corner. She sighed, it hadn't been washed since her dad had spilled beer on it and it didn't smell great. But she put it on anyway. Emily was thin, quite gangly as she had sprouted up over the past few months and looked as though she should eat more. She put her scuffed black converse back on and laced them up. She was used to wearing shoes in the house. The floor wasn't the cleanest in their grubby little house anyway.

 _Dad will be home soon_ , she thought. Only one more week after this until the summer holidays. Just one more week to put up with the big-mouthed pupils and teachers acting all concerned about her. One more day and she would have the whole summer to herself. She pulled her notebook out of her school bag and turned to a clean page. Then there was a knock at the front door.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Hello, Emily, are you in there?"

She froze. The banging continued.

"Emily, open the door. This is social services and the police."

Emily's breathing quickened. She began to shake. So they had finally come for her. The neighbour, the nosy Mrs Perkins, had threatened to call social services before, saying that Emily's dad wasn't fit to look after her. Emily had dealt with social services before, two years ago. But Emily needed her dad. He was alright when she was there. If they took her away...

"Right, Emily, we're coming in." There was a pounding at the door. Suddenly there was a crash as the front door swung open. There were heavy footsteps on the stairs. Emily's vision began to blur and she felt hot and nauseous. Her notebook fell to the floor. The footsteps stopped outside her door.

"Emily, my name is Andrea Lee, and I'm a social worker. Can I come in?" A woman's voice called through the door.

"Emily took a deep breath. "Yes," she choked out.

The door opened and a short woman walked in.

"You have to come with me, OK, Emily?" She said, coming over to her. Emily calmed herself. It would do no good to panic now, though her heart pounded.

A tall policeman stood outside her bedroom door. Emily nodded slowly.

"You won't be coming back here for a bit," said Andrea. "While we sort things out, ok?"

She nodded again, standing up. It would be better just to do what these people said. Besides, the policeman looked a bit scary. She picked up her notebook off the floor and put it back in her school bag. She went to her cupboard and took out a pile of old notebooks that were secured together with elastic bands. Her old stuff, she used to write everything down, all of her thoughts, and make up stories too. If she was going to be away from home, those were her memories, those notebooks were her life. She also pocketed her ipod and earphones.

"Is there anything else you want to take with you?" Andrea asked.

Emily glanced at her before picking up her dark blue denim jacket.

"Ready to go, Emily?" Andrea asked her, the way you would ask a small child. Emily hated her already. Andrea was wearing a pale pink blouse and black trousers. She had foolishly chosen to wear high heels and had her fair hair back in a ponytail.

"Yes," Emily muttered and followed Andrea out of her room. She shouldered her school bag and held onto her denim jacket. She went downstairs and waited by the door for the policeman and Andrea.

There was another policeman standing in the kitchen doorway. As she was led out of the door by Andrea, she heard him mutter, "What kind of home is this for a child? Heard the father's an alcoholic."

"I pity the kid," the taller one said.

Emily blinked at the early afternoon sun as she heard a car pull up outside. There was a police car and a small blue car. But she also saw a beaten up red car and a tall skinny man with dark curly hair stumbled out.

"Dad," she said.

"Emily? What's going on?" He looked around at the policemen and the social worker in unease. "Emily?" His voice was alarmed.

 _"Dad_ ," Emily repeated, as Andrea took her arm firmly and pulled her towards the small blue car.

"No, Emily!" He lurched forward but was restrained by the shorter policeman. "What are you- you can't take my daughter!"

"Dad!" Emily shrieked. " _Daddy_!" She was bundled into the car and the door was slammed shut. She pressed her hands to the glass as Andrea got in and the car drove away.

" _Emily_!" She heard her dad yell once more as the car rounded a bend and she lost sight of him.

"Don't worry, Emily," Andrea said sweetly from the driver's seat. "Everything will be alright."

"Emily's hands dropped from the window and fell to her lap. She scrubbed at her eyes with her hands, laying her head back against the window. She fumbled with her iPod, anxiety levels rising. She put her earphones in, selecting a heavy metal track. It was the only thing to keep her from crying. She shrugged off her school bag and put it on the seat next to her, along with her denim jacket. Then she closed her eyes.

"When she opened them, they were outside a plain white building. She got out of the car at Andrea's request, putting on her denim jacket when she got outside. The inside of the building was just patronising. The walls were painted in bright colours and there were pictures of suns and clouds and rainbows. But what really took the cake were the stupid phrases written on the walls like " _it's good to talk_ ". She rolled her eyes. Shifting her bag straps, she followed the annoying social worker into a small white room with and table and a chair on either side of it.

"Please sit down, Emily." Andrea sat on one of the chairs at the table and gestured for Emily to sit opposite her. Emily sat, moving her bag to her lap. "Now, Emily, is there anything you would like to tell me?" She continued, moving the pad of paper and pen that lay on the table towards her, poised, as if to make notes.

"I need to go home," Emily said. "To Dad."

"You can't go home just now," said Andrea. "But I'm here to help you. Is there anything I can do?"

"Emily hugged her bag, wishing she was dreaming. The stupid woman didn't understand, Emily had to get home. Dad needed her. Panic rose within her, which turned to anger.

"If you won't let me go home, you can bugger off!" Emily yelled, turning away, heart racing.

Andrea got up and left the room. The door was left ajar and Emily could hear voices outside. She rubbed her face with her hands.

"The girl seems to have behavioural problems," Andrea said.

"She's clearly upset." A man's voice that Emily didn't recognise.

"Well, she can't go back home," Andrea countered. "I've seen the house! It's no place for a child. The father is an alcoholic. He needs help before he can continue to look after her."

"Is there anywhere she can stay temporarily?" The man asked.

"Burneywood?" Andrea asked.

"What about Ashdene Ridge?" The man suggested. "I think they've got space. I'll ring them up now."

"Fab," said Andrea. She poked her head round the door. "Can I get you anything, Emily?"

"Emily thought about all the different ways she could reply, but said nothing. Andrea promptly left. She was left for about forty minutes. She stared at the white wall, zoning out. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Andrea returned, telling Emily to go with her. Emily didn't really have much of a say in the matter so she followed Andrea back to her car.

"We've found somewhere for you to stay, Emily," said Andrea. "At Ashdene Ridge."

 _Whatever_ , Emily thought, putting her headphones back in.

* * *

 **So you just met Emily, and in the next chapter she'll meet all of the Dumping Ground kids! :)**


	2. 2: Ashdene Ridge

**New chapter! (With alternate language for the different accents...) Meeting the DG kids - this chapter's quite a bit longer, enjoy! xx**

A short distance away, in a large house, a care worker sat in his office. He gave a sigh, getting up from his computer chair. He took off his glasses and put them in his shirt pocket. They were having a new arrival at the care home.

"May-Li!" He called, as three young children ran through the hall. A young Asian woman appeared in a doorway, dodging the kids as they ran past.

"Yes, Mike?" She asked older man.

"We've got a new kid coming in half an hour, may only be temporary," he explained. "A girl called Emily."

"Oh, right," she said, nodding. Then she looked at him. "Did you just say half an hour!? We've got to get the spare room ready!"

"Ah, yes!" Mike exclaimed, "They did apologise for it being so last minute."

A boy of about sixteen walked through the hall.

"What's going on?" He asked. He had short dark brown hair and was wearing a blue long-sleeved t-shirt. He looked slightly amused.

"Get Johnny to help you," Mike said, before disappearing back into his office.

"Ah, Johnny," said May-Li, "We've got a new kid coming so I need to to help me get the spare room ready."

"All right," he agreed.

"A new kid?" Asked a girl who came through the living room door. She had blonde hair and wore a white skater dress with a pink cardigan.

"Yeah, a girl called Emily," May-Li replied. "You can help too, Tee. Come on." She ushered Tee and her brother Johnny up the stairs.

Mike poked his head out of the office and shouted, "House meeting in five minutes!"

Emily sat in the car, head resting on the window. The car journey wasn't long. They soon came to a stop and Emily looked out to see where the social worker had taken her. The house was large and red-bricked. There was a large lawn out front with an oak tree and a white fence that surrounded the lawn.

"Come on then, Emily," said Andrea, getting out of the car. Emily followed her up the path to the house. The place looked nice, but Emily had no idea what to expect. Heavy metal music leaked out of her earphones and Andrea glanced at her in distaste. The door opened and a bald middle-aged man stood there, smiling pleasantly.

"You must be Emily," he said. "I'm Mike Milligan."

"Hi," Emily muttered. Mike showed them in. The hallway was large and spacious, and the walls were painted a cream colour. On one side there was an office with a large glass window and on the other side was a door to what appeared to be a living room. The hall was full of kids.

A young Asian woman stepped forward. She had long black hair and a kind smile. She was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt.

"Welcome to Ashdene Ridge," she said. "I'm May-Li."

Emily nodded awkwardly, fiddling with the wires of her earphones. She looked around at the people before her, feeling like an insect under a microscope. It was as if every detail of her appearance was being scrutinised by the kids of the house; her chocolate brown hair that fell in loose waves that could do with a wash, her pale skin and old clothing. She wished she had chosen a different t-shirt as she thought about the beer stains on the one she had on. These kids were well dressed and looked happy, mostly.

A few smaller chidren stood on the stairs, peering down at her. A boy with dark skin held the collar of a black and white sheepdog. Emily's chest tightened and she swallowed. Two girls a perhaps a year or two older than Emily, one fair and one with darker skin and hair, stood to one side. Behind them was a tall boy with brown hair.

She gave a nervous smile, tugging at her earphones, shaking slightly. The living room door was open, and Emily looked to see a lanky boy with fair hair slink through to see what all the fuss was about. Emily tugged at her earphones too hard and they popped out of her ears, the music cut off. She then realised how quiet it was. She looked again at the boy, who was wearing a black t-shirt, a red and black checked shirt on top with the sleeves rolled up, and black skinny jeans. He eyed her with one eyebrow raised, before disappearing out of view.

"Well, everyone," Mike said, "This is Emily. I'm sure you'll make her feel very welcome. Emily wasn't entirely sure, but Mike seemed to look meaningfully at the kids when he said this. Emily took a deep breath. What were these kids really like?

"Right, off you go, then," May-Li added. "We don't want to overwhelm her."

The hallway slowly cleared. Emily watched as the boy with the dog disappeared from view. She breathed a sigh of relief. The little kids thumped down the stairs and one of them, a fierce looking girl with red curly hair, came up to her. Emily eyed her nervously.

"I'm Floss," she introduced herself loudly. "Would you like a tour?" She was holding a cuddly toy giraffe and wore a green dress. Emily noticed that the skinny blond boy behind her also carried the same toy giraffe.

"Maybe later, eh, Floss?" said May-Li, taking her by the shoulders and leading her into the living room. The blond boy and another shy-looking boy followed.

"Has anyone seen Mo?" Mike asked.

"I think he's in the garden," said the blond girl.

"Right." He looked at Andrea. "If you'd like to follow me, please?"

Andrea follwed Mike into the office and the door clicked shut. Emily sighed. The blond girl came up to her.

"Hi, Emily," said the girl, "I'm Tee, and this is my brother Johnny." She gestured to the tall boy behind her who smiled at her.

"We've been here a long time, so if you have any questions, just ask," he said kindly.

"Ok," Emily replied quietly.

"I'm Carmen," said the girl with long dark hair and pretty clothes, holding out one hand. Emily made no move to shake it, and Carmen looked affronted. Tee laughed at her friend.

"Come on, Carmen," she said, taking her friend by the arm and they went up the stairs.

Emily was left in the hallway with Johnny. Though she had inherited her Dad's tall genes and was tall for her age, Johnny was about a head taller than she was. She guess he was at least two years older than her. She glanced at the office, seeing Andrea talking to Mike. She looked away.

"They'll probably be at that for a while," Johnny said, following her gaze. Emily turned off her ipod, shoving the earphones in her pocket. "They usually are. I could show you where your room is?"

"Sure," she said with a half-forced smile. She followed him up the stairs. There were many rooms along the corridor.

"It's not her fault, Carm," she heard Tee say.

"Yeah, well," Carmen retorted. "I was only trying to be polite." She huffed. "Why do you think she's here, then?"

"Don't be so nosy," Tee said.

Great. People were already talking about her. Like she wasn't used to that.

"This is your room," Johnny said, gesturing to a door. Emily went through to see a medium sized, pleasantly decorated room. "Tee and I helped get it ready earlier. It's not completely ready yet."

"That's ok," Emily muttered, giving a half smile. "It's much bigger than my room at home."

"Oh," Johnny said, eyebrows raised.

Emily clamped her mouth shut and looked at the floor. Thinking about home just made her think of dad. He would be feeling awful right now. She dreaded to think...

"Well," said Johnny, "I'll let you get settled in." He left the room and Emily heard him go back downstairs. She looked about the room. The bed was made and the pale green duvet folded back. The walls were painted blue and there was a small table by the bed, on which stood a lamp. Apart from that, the room was quite bare.

Emily sighed and threw her bag on the floor. She pressed her hands to her face, breathing quickening. Her face grew hot and she felt herself welling up. No, she thought, passing a hand across her eyes. Do not cry. Don't you dare. Emily flopped down on the bed, a tear escaping her cheek.

She imagined she was at home with dad. Her eyes were red as she rubbed at them. She sniffed. She looked up, seeing the boy in the checked shirt from before. He leaned casually on the door frame.

"What do you want?" She asked, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. He frowned.

"Nothing," he muttered. He looked at her speculatively. "Are yeh alright?" In his liverpudlian accent, he sounded slightly concerned.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. She huffed. "I shouldn't even be here."

"Oh?" He straightened and entered the room, hands in pockets, eyeing her curiously. "Why's that, then?"

She scowled. "That's beside the point. It's that stupid social worker. Who knows what she's saying to Mike?"

"Yeh could always... eavesdrop," he suggested casually.

Emily thought about it. She had to know what they were saying about her. She stood up and passed the boy on her way out of the room. He smirked and followed.

She went downstairs and glanced at the office. She saw Andrea sat opposite Mike. She was talking to him and he looked concerned. Great. Another adult being concerned. It was probably the neighbour, out of 'concern', who had called social services and landed Emily in this mess. Mike seemed nicer though.

She glanced at Ryan who was leaning on the banister.

"Well, go on," he said, gesturing towards the office. "I'll warn yeh if yer gonna get caught."

Emily sighed, but crouched down and crawled on her hands and knees towards the office. She glanced up quickly to see that Mike and Andrea were still talking. She moved to the door and pressed her ear to the crack. The boy watched from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, well, here's all the information you need," said Andrea. There was a rustling of papers.

"It's all here?" Mike asked.

"Yes, she was already on our records," she replied. "You should receive an email updating recent information."

"Right," said Mike. "Well, thank you for telling me everything, it helps to know the kid's background."

Telling him what? Emily thought. About her dad?

"I'm sure Emily will settle in just fine," Mike continued.

"You might find her a bit of a handful," said Andrea reproachfully.

"Don't worry, we're used to that," Mike assured her. "She seems all right, just a little nervous, no doubt."

"The girl appears to have serious behavioural issues," Andrea said snippily. "You didn't hear how she spoke to me earlier, and we've had to deal with her before. It's to be expected, really," she added. Emily scowled. She glanced up at the boy, who raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Mike asked.

Emily had heard enough. Andrea was clearly making her out to be some problem child. She crawled back to the stairs where the boy crouched down beside her. He peered through the gaps under the banister.

"What did they say, then?" He asked in just over a whisper. Emily huffed, thinking about what Andrea had said.

"Not much," Emily muttered. "Though social services seem to think I have 'behavioural issues'."

He made a face at that. "Yer not the only one," he said, straightening up as the office door opened.

"You what?" She muttered, but got up as Mike and Andrea came out into the hallway. She leaned on the banister, turning slightly to see Mike showing Andrea out. Andrea threw her a distasteful glance and Emily scowled in response. The boy narrowed his eyes at the social worker.

Mike closed the door and sighed. He shook his head, taking off his glasses. He passed Emily and the boy by the stairs.

"Know where May-Li is by any chance?" He asked the boy. "I need to talk to her about," he glanced at Emily, "something."

"I think she's in the kitchen," the boy replied, exchanging a glance with Emily.

"Right," he said, heading straight down the hall. He went through a doorway and Emily huffed.

"So much for being subtle," she muttered. The boy looked thoughtful. He then seemed to remember something. He stepped down and awkwardly stuck out his hand.

"I'm Ryan," he said, his accent causing him to roll the 'r' slightly. She shook his hand.

"Emily," she replied. She supposed Ryan was about her age, thirteen. He gave a half-smile.

"Pleased to meet yeh, nice jacket, by the way." He looked at the ground, having let that slip out by mistake.

"Thanks," she mumbled awkwardly.

"I could... show yeh around?" Ryan asked, looking back at her, stuffing his hand back in the pocket of his skinny jeans.

"OK," she agreed. They went into the room on the left.

"This is the living room," said Ryan, "TV, pool table, computer, etc." He gestured to each in turn. The room was pleasant, filled with comfy furniture. There was a small table and a few chairs around it in one corner, and several bookcases packed with books and other bits and bobs. There were also two sofas by the TV. Floss and the other two young boys she had seen before sat on one. Johnny stood by the pool table, finishing off a game.

"Ha, Tyler, you got smashed," said a shorter girl with brown hair scraped back in a ponytail. She was laughing, perched on the back of the other sofa that was nearest the pool table. She was talking to a boy with curly afro hair who was wearing a brightly coloured patterned t-shirt.

"I'd like to see you try," he retorted.

"Hello, Emily," said Johnny, noticing her. She smiled at him.

"Are you the new girl?" The shorter girl asked. Emily nodded. "I'm Jody," she said, "and this is Tyler." She gestured to the boy with the curly hair.

"Watch out, Emily," said Tyler warningly, "There are crazy people in this house."

"Like you, you mean?" Jody laughed, punching him in the arm. Ryan was standing by the door watching them. Emily walked over to him and he turned and went through to the kitchen. She followed.

The kitchen was big and spacious, with a large table surrounded by a dozen chairs on one side of the worktop in the middle of the kitchen. May-Li stood by the window, talking to Mike.

"You alright?" May-Li asked when she noticed Emily and Ryan standing by the table.

"Yeh," Ryan replied with ease, "Just giving Emily the tour."

May-Li smiled.

"That's nice of you, Ryan," said Mike, sounding surprised. Ryan smiled innocently. Emily raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ehm, come on, Emily," he said, heading for the door that lead outside, "I'll show yeh the garden."

She followed as he went outside, glancing back once at the care workers. May-Li smiled encouragingly and Emily decided that she liked her. They went out into the garden and the sun was shining in the late afternoon. The garden seemed huge to Emily. There was a swinging bench, a little area with a table benches tucked away in a corner behind some bushes, and a large garden shed. There was a large lawn in the middle where the dark skinned boy was playing with the black and white sheep dog. Emily grew tense, and noticed that Ryan looked uneasy at the sight of the dog also.

The boy looked up and grinned. The dog barked and bounded towards Emily. She stumbled backwards as the dog got closer. Ryan drew back from the dog. Emily's heart rate quickened and her breathing was short.

"Hello, Mischief!" Yelled Floss who had run out into the garden. She patted the dog's head and his tongue lolled out in a canine laugh. The dark skinned boy ran up to her and took hold of the dog's collar.

"Hi, I'm Bailey," he introduced himself. Emily eyed the dog warily. Ryan had moved away and now stood by the washing line. She threw him a frightened glance but Ryan looked sort of helpless, eyes fixed on the dog. Emily looked back at the excited dog. "He likes you," said Bailey, petting Mischief.

"I'd rather he didn't," Emily muttered, hurredly taking a few steps backwards. Mischief barked excitedly. Emily remembered the last time she'd heard that sound. She had been eight years old and at the park with her parents. That was before her mum had left. Emily still had a tiny scar on her pinkie from where the dog had bitten her.

"What, are you scared or sumfing?" Bailey asked in his East London accent as Mischief ran towards her, jumping up.

"'Course not," she scoffed, though she sounded nervous. It was like there was a hand around her throat as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Emily was frozen, but her heart pounded in her chest. Mischief's paws collided with her chest. Emily collapsed to the ground and everything went black.

She saw her dad, no, that couldn't be right. He was smiling, happy. She saw her mum, too, sitting next to her dad on the sofa. A little girl of about nine shyly poked her head through the doorway. She had dark hair and Emily recognised her as herself. That's right, her parents were happy when they didn't have to worry about her. It was her fault that they had started fighting, she was the reason her mum had left. The darkness came again and they were gone.


	3. 3: Panic Mode

**This story's going strong, hope you are enjoying the humour and the drama! A new chapter for you guys - enjoy! xx**

She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the bright sunlight. She saw an older girl's concerned face. The girl had dark skin and short dark hair that was braided back.

"What happened?" Emily asked groggily. "And who are you?"

"My name is Kaz," the girl replied, and Emily guessed her accent was from somehere in Africa. "I think you fainted. You weren't unconscious for long, but Mo called me for help."

"Mo?" Emily mumbled, remembering having heard Mike mention the name before. She slowly sat up.

"That's me," said a boy who stood nearby. He was wearing a white shirt with a blue knitted vest on top and wore large glasses with clear plastic frames. "When you didn't wake up, I got worried so I called Kaz. Do you want me to get Mike?"

"No," Emily said, "It was your stupid dog that knocked me over." She shot Bailey a glare.

"No, you just fainted," Floss said loudly, her Geordy accent making her sound more obnoxious.

"Hey, who are you calling stupid?" Bailey asked, sounding dangerous.

"Just drop it Bailey," said Kaz, and Bailey stalked off, tugging at Mischief's collar, and the dog followed.

"Are you sure we shouldn't fetch Mike?" Kaz asked.

"No, I'm fine," she said, clambering to her feet, looking around her. Ryan was nowhere to be seen. She sighed.

"Grub's up!" She heard a shout for the kitchen followed by, "come and get it!"

Kaz headed back into the house. Mo lingered a moment, seeming unsure.

"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked, his blue eyes concerned behind his glasses.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emily said, forcing a smile. She felt more confident all of a sudden, so she continued. "Sounds like they're calling us for tea, I'll catch up with you, yeah?"

Mo nodded and smiled, before turning and going back into the house. Emily breathed a sigh of relief, passing a hand across her eyes. Her first day there and already she had caused a scene. Hopefully Kaz and Mo wouldn't say anything. Ryan appeared from behind the shed and skulked past her. He paused, turning to look at her.

"You comin'?" He asked. She nodded and followed. She thought she would never understand the kids here, especially Ryan.

The kitchen was noisy as everyone was sat around the large dining table.

"Fainted?" Carmen scoffed. "It was probably from the smell!" A few of the kids laughed, but Bailey, who was sitting on the other side of the table, frowned but said nothing. Ryan looked unimpressed.

"Carmen!" Johnny said, appalled. Tee, too, looked at her friend reproachfully.

"What, she does," Carmen defended herself.

"I remember you said that about me when I first arrived," said Jody, punching her on the arm across the table.

"And me," Kaz added.

Ryan caught Emily's eye from where he sat. She lingered in the doorway and soon, all the kids were staring at her. May-Li entered and motioned for Emily to come and sit down. The only spare seat was between Carmen and a young boy with brown hair, and opposite Ryan. When Emily sat down, Carmen glanced at her in distaste. Emily wished the ground would swallow her up as she stared at her plate.

"Help yourselves, everybody," said May-Li, "But make sure everybody gets some!"

Everyone started to help themselves and May-Li laid a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"All right, Emily?" She asked quietly. Emily nodded and May-Li smiled, then left the room.

"Hi, I'm Finn," said a young voice to her right. She looked to see the young boy with brown hair smiling shyly at her.

"I'm Emily," she said, smiling back. She couldn't help but smile at the boy, he seemed so cute.

"I'm quite new here, too," he said, "It's really nice here." Emily nodded in reply. She wasn't sure she completely agreed.

"Hey, Emily, want some lasagne?" Johnny asked. He was sat across from her, next to Ryan. She nodded, holding out her plate. Johnny gave her what seemed, to her, to be a massive helping of lasagne, Emily wondered if she would be able to finish it. Everyone around her had started eating, so Emily picked up her fork and tasted a bit of the lasagne. It was delicious, nothing like anything she would eat at home. Of course, she couldn't afford much since her dad spent most of his salary on alcohol these days.

"So," said Jody, "Have you met everyone yet?"

Emily swallowed. "Not everyone... properly."

"Right, let's all introduce ourselves," Tyler announced. "Carmen, you start."

"I'm Carmen," Carmen muttered, not even looking at Emily. Tee sighed.

"I'm Tee," she said.

"I'm Tyler," said Tyler, who sat next to her.

"Jody," Jody said with a grin.

"I'm Kaz, but you already know that," the dark girl said with a smile. Emily decided she liked Kaz.

"I'm Mo," Mo said next.

"Ryan," Ryan said curtly, with a brief nod.

"I'm Johnny," Johnny continued the introductions.

"Bailey," said the boy next to him. He didn't look quite so angry now.

"I'm Floss," said the young red haired girl that Emily had met earlier.

"I'm Harry," said the skinny boy with blond hair.

"And I'm Finn," said Finn in conclusion.

"Have we all finished saying our names now? Thank you," Carmen said sarcastically. Ryan raised an eyebrow, reaching for the bread basket.

"Calm down, Drama Queen," he said mildly.

Tyler laughed. "Nice one, Ryan." Carmen scowled at him.

"Cheers," he muttered, ignoring Carmen and offering the bread basket to Emily. There were a few slices of baguette left in it.

"No thanks," she mumbled looking down at her plate. Ryan just shrugged and passed it to Jody who held out a hand for it.

Emily had eaten about half of her food and picked at piece of cheese with her fork. It was nice and all, but Emily didn't have much of an appetite lately. She glanced around the table but mostly kept her head down. She really didn't know what to make of this place. It had been a really weird day, and Emily's emotions were up in the air. She had this funny feeling in her stomach as well. She doubted that it was the food.

"Not hungry?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Not really," Emily muttered, not meeting his eyes.

"I get that," he replied, nibbling at a piece of bread. She looked at him, and she could have sworn she had detected an uneasiness in his voice when he'd said that. He understood that? So did that mean he, too, had-

Her inner thoughts were cut off by a loud burp.

"Eww, Tyler!" said Mo, aghast. Johnny, Bailey and the little kids laughed and Ryan looked amused.

"Bet I can beat that," Jody declared.

"By how much?" Bailey joked.

Jody paused, holding up one finger, before letting out a mighty belch that far surpassed Tyler's. Emily's eyes widened.

"Jody won!" Floss yelled.

"Stop it, that's disgusting," said Carmen, making a face. Tee wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, better stop before this turns into a full scale burping competition!" said Johnny, laughing.

"Now, that's an idea," Harry said brightly.

"Maybe not," Kaz countered.

Most of the kids had finished. Emily didn't have much on her plate but she put her fork down, sipping at her drink instead. The last few pieces of bread were taken and everyone began to chat. She looked up to see Bailey staring at her.

"Why you here, then?" He asked. Emily just shrugged, not looking at him.

"Yeah, why come after school?" Jody asked. "Couldn't they wait until the weekend to transfer you?"

"Apparently not," Emily muttered, as May-Li and Mike walked in.

"What's that on your wrist?" Johnny asked, concerned. Tee leaned forward, peering round Carmen.

"Yeah, is that a bruise?" she asked, frowning.

"It's nothing." Emily quickly hid her hand under the table. Ryan looked alarmed. The younger kids looked at her in concern.

"Everyone done?" Mike asked, diverting the attention from Emily, and there was a chorus of 'yes' in reply, though Emily said nothing. "OK, pass the plates over, then." The plates were passed to the end of the table where Mike collected them up, comically balancing them atop one another. He pretended to lose his balance and almost drop the plates.

"Careful!" Warned May-Li. "Or you'll be mopping the floor."

Mike raised his eyebrows at the kids, and a few of them laughed. He then placed the stack on the worktop and May-Li scraped the few leftovers into the bin. The kids began to disperse and Finn tugged May-Li's sleeve shyly.

"Yes, Finn?" She asked with a smile.

"Please can Harry and I play with Mischief?" He asked her.

"Of course you can," May-Li said.

"Come on, Harry," said Finn, and the two of then ran outside into the garden.

"I'm coming too!" yelled Floss, running after them. Mike smiled and went to fill the kettle to make a cup of tea.

"Hey, Bailey, fancy a game of football?" Johnny asked him.

Bailey grinned. "'Course," he said. "I think the ball's in the shed." He made his way outside to find it.

"I'll play, too," Jody said. "Come on Tyler!" They ran outside.

"Ryan?" Johnny asked.

"Ehm, maybe later, mate," Ryan replied, walking towards the living room.

"OK," said Johnny, before going outside to join the others.

Ryan lingered in the doorway, a questioning look on his face, and Carmen and Tee were talking quietly, though Emily noticed they both glanced at her now and then. She caught snatches of their conversation and gathered that she was the subject of their conversation. But Emily was used to that. Kaz cleared the cups from the table and stacked them on the worktop. Mike added some milk to his tea and stirred it with a teaspoon. Emily approached May-Li shyly.

"OK, Emily?" May-Li asked. "Your new room all right?"

Emily nodded. "Need any help with the washing up?"

"Suck-up." She heard Carmen mutter and she made a fist, trying not to give away that she was angry.

"Oh, Emily, that would be great," Mike said.

"It won't last," laughed May-Li.

"Well, I'm used to doing it," Emily said, looking at the ground.

"Was she a slave at home or something?" Carmen commented.

"Carmen!" Tee hissed.

"Is that why she's in care, 'cause her parents made her do all the work?" Carmen continued.

"What did you say?" Emily asked, turning round to face the girl, who wore a pink jacket and lots of jewelery. Carmen tossed her dark hair over her shoulder one hand on her hip.

"I was only asking, Cinderella," Carmen sneered. "That's probably why you smell so bad." Emily was face to face with her, they were perhaps a metre apart.

"Uh, Carmen?" said May-Li, exchanging a glance with Mike.

"At least you do not have to share a room with her," said Kaz.

"If you say one more thing," Emily said dangerously, glaring at Carmen, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"What'll you do, hit me?" Carmen jeered.

Emily's eyes narrowed as she finally lost her cool and she went for her. She grabbed a fistful of Carmen's jacket and Carmen was quick to respond, trying to shove Emily off. Ryan's eyes widened as the fight ensued. Mike and May-Li looked at each other before going to step in.

"Get off me!" Carmen shrieked, grabbing at Emily's jacket there was a ripping sound as the shoulder seam gave way. Emily responded with a yell as she rugby tackled her. Johnny and Bailey came through the kitchen doorway having heard the commotion. They looked amused.

"Yeah, thrash her, Emily," he said with a smirk. Jody and Tyler ran back in from the garden and Tyler laughed when he saw the two girls fighting.

"Not helping, Bailey," May-Li said, sounding a little stressed. The two girls kept pulling at each others clothes and Carmen shrieked when Emily pulled at her hair.

"Girls, girls!" May-Li yelled, waiting for an opportunity to grab one of the girls as they spun round.

Carmen elbowed Emily in the stomach, hard. She doubled over and Carmen gave her a final shove before Mike restrained her. May-Li grabbed hold of Emily who struggled in her grasp. Carmen's hair was all messy and Emily's jacket was torn. Emily held her stomach and her lip had spilt in the struggle and was bleeding. Carmen's right cheek was red and she glared at Emily, who looked at the blood on her fingers from her split lip resentfully.

Mike and May-Li let go of the girls and Emily stormed off to her room and Ryan dodged out of the way as she rushed past him fiercely. She was still angry, and he watched as she ran up the stairs, one hand pressed to her face. May-Li stood with her hands on her hips and Mike folded his arms. They were both staring at Carmen. Tee looked at her friend, disappointed.

"All right, show's over," Mike said, gesturing for Jody, Tyler, Johnny and Bailey to go back outside. They all exchanged a glance before disappearing through the door.

"She started it!" Carmen spluttered. "Tee?"

Tee just shook her head and went outside to join her brother. May-Li had picked up a tea towel and Kaz was at the sink, organising the dishes to be washed up.

"My office, now!" Mike shouted and Carmen stamped out. Mike sighed, passing a hand across his eyes.

"I'll go and sort out Emily," May-Li said, following Mike out of the room. She passed Ryan who stood just outside the doorway and threw the tea towel at him. He looked peeved. "You can help Kaz with the dishes. Now," she added firmly when he didn't move. Ryan huffed and went back into the kitchen. May-Li went upstairs to find Emily.

* * *

Tee crossed the garden to where Johnny and the others were standing. They watched Floss and Harry play with Mischief. Finn approached them shyly.

"What happened?" He asked. He spoke quite slowly. "I heard shouting."

"Emily and Carmen had a fight," Tyler piped up.

"Best one I've seen all year!" Jody declared, high-fiving her friend.

"A fight?" Floss said. "I can't believe I missed it!" She sounded genuinely disappointed. Johnny smiled and shook his head at her.

"What were they fighting about?" Harry asked.

"Dunno, mate," Johnny said with a shrug. Finn looked concerned and Bailey put an arm around his shoulders. "You were there, weren't you, Tee?" Johnny turned to his sister. They all looked at Tee expectantly.

"Yeah." Tee looked distracted, thinking about what had just happened. "Carmen was saying stuff about Emily and she overheard. Emily challenged her and Carmen just carried on, so Emily went for her."

"I don't blame her," Bailey said. "Even if she did call Mischief stupid."

"It's only her first day and all," Johnny said, shaking his head.

"She was probably really nervous about coming here," Tyler added sympathetically.

"It's not like any of us know what's really going on with her," Jody said, sounding glum.

"I hope she's OK," said Tee, looking thoughtful.

They all nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Carmen, it's her first day!" Mike said, sounding angry.

"She started it!" Carmen whined, running her hands through her hair.

"I don't care who it started it," he replied, "It does not give you the right to say those things to Emily!" He added in a shout.

Carmen huffed, looking sullen. She rubbed at her cheek. Mike sighed.

"She's had a rough day, all right?" He said quietly. "If I hear of anything else going on, you won't be going to that party on Saturday."

"But Mike-" she began.

"That's the end of it," he said. "Now, go and help with the washing up."

Carmen stalked out of the office and across the hall. Ryan turned as she entered the kitchen, eyeing her with one eyebrow raised. He had been drying the dishes as Kaz washed them. Kaz also turned to look at her.

"Mike says I have to help with the dishes," she muttered. Ryan said nothing, but was looking at her disapprovingly.

"What?" She asked, throwing her hands up.

"Nothin'," he muttered, handing her the tea towel and leaving the room. Carmen looked at Kaz.

"I didn't say anything," Kaz said, "Are you going to dry these dishes, or what?"


	4. 4: Making Friends With Mo

**Glad you're enjoying so far - now that I'm free from exams, I can update again! (This is set during Season 3, before Johnny leaves, so it's got Ryan, etc., and Johnny, at the moment) Enjoy xx**

* * *

 **Making Friends With Mo**

May-Li knocked on Emily's bedroom door.

"Emily? Emily, it's May-Li," she said, "can I come in?"

There was a pause before Emily mumbled a 'yes' in reply. May-Li opened the door and Emily was sitting on her bed, covering her face with her hands. She looked up as May-Li entered, her face tear stained.

"Oh, Emily," May-Li said sympathetically. "Are you OK?"

Emily rubbed at her good eye. She had a bruise on her cheek just below her right eye from the fight, which caused her eye to swell almost shut, so that she had to squint. "What do you think?" she muttered, wiping her cheek. She paused and sighed. "Sorry," she apologised, "You're only trying to be nice."

"Don't worry about it," May-Li said kindly, coming further into the room. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Emily muttered, gently probing her split lip. The blood had dried on her lower lip and chin. She had been bullied before, but nothing as bad as this.

"Well, let's see what we can do about that split lip," May-Li said with a smile, "It doesn't look too serious." She went up to Emily and knelt in front of her, taking her chin in her hand, tilting her head to see what damage had been inflicted. Emily flinched slightly at the unexpected touch. May-Li removed her hand. "Are you sure you're OK?"

Emily nodded fiercely, her eyes starting to well with tears. She looked away from May-Li at the blank wall.

"Well, I'd better get the first-aid kit, to get you cleaned up," May-Li said, "I'll be right back." She left the room, leaving the door open.

Emily huffed, rubbing her eyes again, being careful of the bruise on her cheek. The bedroom door moved slightly, and the boy with brown hair and glasses poked his head round the door.

"Hello," he said cautiously. "I heard about the fight, are... are you OK?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Emily snapped. "Sorry," she said slowly, "Mo, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right," he said, smiling. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Emily guessed she was about a year older than Mo, but he seemed mature for his age. He was, after all, wearing a collared shirt and a knitted vest.

"You want to... come in?" she asked mildly, watching him linger in the doorway.

"Uh, OK," he said, coming into the room and sitting on the end of her bed. "What happened," he asked curiously, "With Carmen, I mean?"

Emily sighed and ran a hand through her hair, which was starting to feel greasy.

"I'm not really sure," Emily said, "She was winding me up, I guess."

"Well, that's what Carmen does!" Mo said, with a shrug. "So, want to help me look for treasure later?" Mo seemed unfazed by the bruise on Emily's face and her split lip.

"Treasure?" she asked, confused. "Where?"

"Oh, I look anywhere, really," Mo said, "I collect things that people would normally throw away."

"Oh, I see," Emily said, "So... you look in the bins?"

"Sort of," Mo replied, looking down, embarrassed, "You don't have to."

"No," Emily insisted, "It's OK, I'll help. Anyway, it sounds fun."

"Cool," Mo said, grinning widely. Emily decided that she had misjudged the kids, well, Mo at least, that lived at Ashdene Ridge.

"So, want to be friends?" Emily asked hopefully.

"Yeah, OK!" Mo said happily. "When do you want to go looking for treasure?"

"Whenever May-Li is finished with my face," Emily said, giving a small smile. "So, whenever you want."

"OK," Mo said, jumping up, "I'll be in the garden when you're ready."

"OK," Emily repeated, as Mo ran out of her room. May-Li came back as Mo left. She gave Emily a questioning look.

"Mo wanted to see if I would help him find some treasure later," Emily explained. "In... the garden."

"Ah, I see," May-Li said, laughing. "Well, I found the first-aid kit, so we can sort you out."

"Great," Emily muttered. "Don't worry, I'm used to it."

"Really?" May-Li sounded surprised. She knelt on the floor in front of Emily, opening the first-aid kit. She took out some antiseptic wipes and began to clean up the blood on Emily's lip and chin. Emily winced slightly as she did this, waiting for her to finish before answering.

"Yeah, well, I was bullied at school," Emily explained, not looking at her. "Well, I am."

"Oh, Emily," May-Li said. "Does your father know?"

Emily welled up at the mention of her father. "No," she said simply, blinking the tears away. "He's too busy to worry about some girls at school. Anyway, it's no big deal - Annie probably didn't mean to trip me down the stairs," She added darkly.

"I see," May-Li murmured.

"Don't tell him," Emily said quickly.

"Of course," May-Li said. "It's none of my business, but I still think you should tell you father, about the bullying."

"Yeah, well, I can't right now," Emily muttered. "Are you done?" She wished to be free from all the probing questions. She had to go and help Mo find 'treasure', anyway.

"Yes," May-Li said, drawing back and packing up the first-aid kit. "Can't really put a plaster on your lip, and the swelling under your eye isn't too bad."

"At least I didn't have to go to hospital," Emily said lightly. May-Li looked at her. "Which totally hasn't happened before," she added haltingly. She mentally face palmed. She really had to stop giving away all of this private information. Who knew how they would react, or what they would do?

"All right," May-Li said, looking at her. "Sorry about your jacket," she added, gesturing to the rip in the shoulder of Emily's faded denim jacket.

"It's fine," Emily muttered. She was quite used to having her stuff damaged and belonging wrecked. The girls at school made sure to make her life a misery.

"No, it isn't," she insisted, "We'll make sure you're compensated. Carmen will have to pay for a new one."

"Good," Emily said shortly.

"OK," May-Li said, getting up. "Well, have fun with Mo."

"Yeah," Emily muttered as May-Li left the room. She sighed, her hand going to her lip again. She stood up and looked about her room.

Her school rucksack lay on the bed towards the wall, there was a small bedside table with a lamp on it, and the walls were blue. There was also a pale blue rug on the floor which looked quite new.

Now, what had Mo said? He would be... in the garden. Pushing her hair back from her face, Emily took a deep breath and left her room, leaving the door ajar.

Emily was pretty sure she would be able to find her way back to the garden. She went down the corridor, past the other rooms. She resisted the urge to look into the other kids' bedrooms, she thought that they would want to keep their stuff private. One door was slightly open, and as Emily walked past it she stopped looking where she was going and smacked into someone.

"Woah," said a rather deep voice, and Emily glanced up in surprise to see the older boy with dark hair staring down at her. He had caught her arms firmly to stop her from losing her balance, and she shrugged him off, standing in front of him awkwardly. Johnny. "Hey, are you OK?" he asked, seemingly concerned.

Emily scowled, then smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, fine, thanks," she said snarkily, hiding her nervousness. "You can tell your sister's _BFF_ to back off, all right?" She folded her arms.

"OK!" he said, taken aback at her bluntness. "She was way out of line, by the way."

"Too right," Emily muttered. She stared at her battered converse, and then at the wall. Johnny surveyed her calmly as they stood there in the middle of the corridor. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Oh, right, sorry," Johnny said, moving to one side. "What are you up to now?"

 _Why the sudden interest?_ Emily wondered, but flicked away the thought. "Finding treasure," she answered shortly.

"Ah, with Mo?" he asked knowingly. She nodded, then began to walk away. "Have fun," he called after her, before she turned to go down the stairs. She ignored him, even though he was only trying to be nice. Johnny was perhaps two years older than her and wasn't _bad-looking_ , she considered. She rolled her eyes at herself. No point in thinking like that, not like she would stay long at the children's home. She guessed Johnny wouldn't be staying much longer either.

Emily sneaked through the hall. She glanced through the window into the office to see May-Li and Mike talking. She went past and glanced into the living room. The younger kids were in there watching TV. She casually walked past without any of them noticing. Tyler and Jody were playing pool, so Emily slunk past them and into the kitchen. Carmen was finishing washing the dishes and Tee and Kaz were standing to one side. Emily boldly walked through and exited through the back door. Ryan was nowhere to be seen, she noticed.

The first thing Emily noticed when she stepped outside was the dog, Mischief. She _hated_ dogs. She froze on the spot.

"Hi, Emily!" she heard Mo exclaim; he was standing right in front of her and she blinked. "The bins are round the front, if you want to have a look."

"Sure," Emily muttered, forcing a smile, and followed Mo round to the front of the house. There were several big wheelie bins out the front, and Mo eagerly ran up to them and lifted the lid of one.

"This one's paper and cardboard recycling," Mo said, and Emily joined him and peered into the bin. Mo opened the one next to it. "And this one is normal rubbish."

"Well, I'll have a look in this one," Emily said, gesturing to the recycling bin.

"OK!" Mo said happily, and they started rooting through the bins.

Emily looked through the scrunched up bits of paper and pieces of cardboard.

"What exactly are we looking for?" she asked as she looked through the stuff.

"Anything useful or interesting," Mo informed her. "I like to make stuff with the treasure I find, and I put it on my wall."

"Cool," Emily said. She found an egg box. "What about this?" she asked, holding it up. It was still intact and hadn't been squashed.

"Yes, I could use that," Mo said, considering it. He took the box and placed it on the ground by his feet. "We can make a pile here of the things we collect."

"Right," she replied, continuing to root through the bags. After finding an empty chocolate box, a magazine and some empty toilet rolls, Emily tied the bag and closed the bin. "Nothing else here," she said. She peered into the bin that Mo was looking through.

"Not much here, either," Mo said.

But something caught Emily's eye. Something shiny. She put her hand into the bin bag, cringing slightly. She pulled out a bracelet. It had little blue beads on it and was a small silver chain.

"Wow," said Mo, looking at what she had found, "You really did find treasure!"

"Who would have thrown this out?" Emily wondered aloud. "It's so nice."

"What are we up to, then?" a sly voice asked. Emily looked up, quickly closing her hand around the bracelet.

Ryan was leaning against the wall by the bins, but not standing too close. He looked at Emily curiously.

"Emily just - " Mo began.

"Was helping Mo find some treasure," Emily filled in swiftly. She gave Ryan what seemed to be a genuine smile. "Help take my mind off things, you know. And it was actually really fun."

"Really?" Mo asked in disbelief, and Emily nodded quickly.

"Let's get this stuff back inside, then," she said, pocketing the bracelet and picking up the pile of paper and cardboard.

"Did yeh find anything interesting?" Ryan asked, trailing after Emily as she followed Mo back round to the back of the house.

"Just some egg boxes, you know," Emily said shortly. "Hey, Mo, maybe tomorrow we could make something with the treasure we found."

"Yeah, OK!" he said excitedly. They went back inside.

Carmen eyed her as they went into the kitchen.

"Looks like Mo's found a new _girlfriend_ , eh, Tee?" Carmen said snidely, smirking at her friend.

"I was never his girlfriend," Tee countered, before turning and leaving the room.

"Well, Mo is the easiest to suck up to in this place," she continued.

"I'm not sucking up," Emily retorted. She had stopped just inside the doorway and Ryan was just behind her.

"Hey, just ignore her," Ryan muttered, almost in her ear, "She has some attention issues."

Emily smiled slightly, and Carmen scowled, though she doubted that she had even heard what Ryan had said.

"Come on, Emily," said Mo, halfway through the kitchen. "We can put all the treasure in my room."

"OK," Emily answered, not looking at Carmen as she left the kitchen, Ryan following behind. They went upstairs and Mo opened the door to his bedroom, struggling not to drop the pile of rubbish he was carrying.

They entered and Emily now saw what Mo had meant. His wall was covered in creations made from recycled rubbish.

"Wow," Emily said.

"I know it's a bit weird..." Mo said, looking at the floor. He piled up his recent addition to his collection on his desk, which already had some things on it.

"No, it's not," she said kindly. She placed what she had found on the desk with the rest.

"So, tomorrow, then?" Mo asked hopefully. "We could build a robot!"

"Yeah, all right," Emily agreed.

"Yeh... mind if I join?" Ryan asked expectantly.

Mo looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, OK," he reluctantly agreed, knowing that he would now have to compete with Ryan for Emily's attention.

"Cool," Ryan muttered. He raised his eyebrows at Emily before leaving Mo's room.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then," Emily said, backing out of the room.

"Yeah, it's Saturday tomorrow, so we can start after breakfast," said Mo, "Goodnight, Emily."

"Yeah, 'night," Emily muttered as she went back to her own room.

Mike was coming up the corridor, a toothbrush in his hand.

"Ah, Emily," he said when he saw her. "Here's your toothbrush."

She took it.

"The girl's bathroom is this way." Mike gestured down the corridor.

There was a room on the left with a sign on the door which read 'Girl's Bathroom No Boys'.

"You can get ready in here," he explained, "And I've asked Tee to lend you some of her pyjamas."

"OK," said Emily, as she went into the bathroom and Mike left. Tee then walked in.

"Hi, Emily," she said kindly. She was holding some folded pyjamas and held them out.

Emily took them. They were pale blue and the bottoms were plaid, the top was a plain t-shirt.

"Thanks, Tee," said Emily.

"That's fine," said Tee. "Sorry about what happened with Carmen earlier."

Emily nodded awkwardly.

"Night night, then," Tee said with a smile, leaving the room.

Emily locked the door and got changed. She then brushed her teeth. She gathered up her clothes and went back to her room. She left them in a pile on the floor, closed the door and got into bed.

On balance, she decided, this place wasn't so bad after all.


	5. 5: Saturday Fun

**Hello readers! Sorry it's been a while! Thank you for a the lovely reviews that have motivated me to write another chapter. It's the holidays now, so I'm going to try to upload more often - but for now, enjoy! xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Saturday Fun**

 _Her dad stumbled through the front door at three in the morning as Emily wrapped her blanket more tightly around herself. She was in her room and hoped her dad would just go up to bed as quietly as possible. She buried her head in her pillow and thought about when her mum used to be around._

 _Emily's mum was a determined woman but nothing stopped her walking out on her husband and her daughter. Emily's mum had an answer for everything - a present. She had bought Emily an ipod and earphones for her eleventh birthday, but splashed out multiple times a year with gifts for her daughter. It was her money, her mother had argued, she had worked for it so she could spend it on anything she wanted._

 _One night her mum had returned home late and a little drunk. Her father had been so angry with her - having found out about her affair with someone else. Her mum had left there and then, packing her things in front of Emily and her dad. Then she was gone._

 _Emily remembered crying for every night for nights after her mum had just packed up and left them._

 _Her father had turned to drink soon after and there was not a day that Emily would see her dad sober in the evenings._

 _One time she had gone to wake him where he was sleeping on the sofa. She had gently tapped him but he started, and reached out to grab her wrist. He opened his eyes but didn't see her, he saw his wife._

 _"Delilah," he had growled, "How_ dare _you leave us."_

 _His grip was tight on Emily's wrist and she tried desperately to free herself._

 _"Dad," she cried, "Dad!"_

 _"Emily?" he mumbled, seeing his daughter in front of him. He let go of her and she ran away upstairs to her room. She shut the door and slid down against it to sit on the floor, staring at her wrist. There were bright red marks standing out on her pale skin, slowly fading to black. Emily pulled her long sleeve over her wrist and drew her knees to her chest, sobbing bitterly._

Emily awoke suddenly, jerking upright. She wiped a few tears away and remembered her dream. But it wasn't just a dream, it was a memory.

* * *

Emily had been sitting staring at the wall for a while now.

She rubbed at her eyes and pushed her greasy dark hair out of her face. Wearing Tee's pyjamas, she stumbled out of bed, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was nearly eight o'clock but she couldn't hear anyone stirring in the adjoining bedrooms. She wandered out of her room and downstairs. The hallway was light as the daylight streamed in from the windows. The sky was already awake and the sun was up. But the rest of the house appeared to be asleep.

In the living room she found Harry fast asleep on the sofa in front of the TV which was still playing quietly. She guessed he had come down early to watch TV before the older kids got to it, but had fallen asleep. How cute. His pale blond hair was messy and he was sprawled out over the entire sofa. Emily quietly turned off the TV.

"Hey, I was watching that," said a snide voice just above a whisper.

Emily spun round to see Ryan sitting on a chair by the round table, a few feet away.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Emily muttered, standing there awkwardly.

"It's fine," Ryan replied, getting up. "I've got better things to do."

He crossed the room and went out into the hallway.

Curious, Emily followed. What was he doing exactly?

Ryan tiptoed over to the office and tried the door. It was locked. He huffed, glancing around for the keys. But they were nowhere to be seen.

"You're trying to break into the office?" Emily hissed, drawing Ryan's attention.

He jumped, turning around to face her.

"So you can, what?" she continued, "Read Mike's emails?"

"Shh," he muttered, one finger to his lips. He led her back into the living room. "Actually, yeh."

Emily looked confused.

"I had to delete an important email from that computer once," Ryan explained.

"What was it about?" Emily questioned. "You?"

"What do yeh think?" he said sarcastically, "'course it was."

"What did it say?" she asked, "Why did you delete it?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to know what it said," Ryan said shortly.

"So no one knows now?" Emily wondered.

"Well, o' course," Ryan snapped, "That's why I deleted it before anyone read it, are yeh stupid or sumthin'?" he added, in a raised voice.

"What's going on here?" asked a voice. Emily and Ryan both looked up to see Johnny standing in the living room doorway.

"Nothin'" Ryan muttered, leaving the room and going back upstairs.

"Nothing," Emily said, forcing a smile. "Um, can you show me where you keep your cereal?"

"Sure, Emily," Johnny replied. He led the way into the kitchen and opened a cupboard, revealing an assortment of plastic containers with different types of cereal in them. "Go crazy."

"Thanks," Emily said, selecting Coco-pops. Johnny placed a bowl on the table and Emily went over to it, sitting down at the table and pouring herself a large helping of cereal. Johnny fetched a carton of milk from the fridge and a spoon which he placed on the table in front of her. He got out some break to make himself some toast.

"Why are you up so early?" Emily asked hesitantly, eating her cereal.

"It's not that early," he laughed. "I get up to go running."

Emily made a face at this.

"It doesn't sound fun, I know," said Johnny, "But I have to keep fit if I'm going to make it into the army."

"You're going to into the army?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Yeah, well, I've already got a place," Johnny explained, "But I need to stay in shape for the training when I get there."

"Oh," was all she said. She finished her cereal and put her bowl and spoon in the sink.

"Well, I'll see you later," Johnny said, finishing his toast and leaving the kitchen. She heard him going back upstairs to his room.

Two sets of footsteps thundered down the stairs. Emily looked up as Jody and Tyler came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Emily," said Tyler.

"'Morning, Em," said Jody.

"'Morning," Emily replied.

The two of them raided the cereal cupboard and took two bowls and various types of cereal to the table.

"Hey, Emily, could you pass us some spoons?" Jody asked. Emily turned and found the cutlery in the drawer by the sink. She got out two spoons and went over to the table to give them to her.

"Cheers," said Tyler.

Emily went and found some orange juice in the fridge, helping herself to a glass. She liked how relaxed it all was, the food in the cupboards and in the fridge were hers now, too. Not that she would stay for long. She sat down at the able opposite the pair and sipped her drink.

"So, Emily," said Jody, "You like football?"

"I haven't really played it," she shrugged. Her garden really wasn't big enough back home. She tried not to think about home.

"We'll have to educate you," Jody replied. She glanced at Tyler. "Well, me and Bailey will teach you."

"Me and Bailey," Tyler mimicked in a baby voice. "Can Bailey teach you anything else, Jodes?"

This earned him a smack from Jody.

"Ow," he protested. "I was only joking."

"You'll have this cereal in your face in a minute," Jody said fiercely.

"Could you aim for my mouth?" he asked.

"Ew," Jody muttered, quickly eating her own breakfast.

It was coming up to nine o'clock when Bailey, Tee and the little ones came down. Harry had woken up and came into the kitchen with Floss and Finn following. Bailey went straight to the cupboard for dog food to feed the dog, and Tee got out a yoghurt from the fridge. She sat down next to Emily and smiled at her.

"Carmen's going to this party today," Tee told her. "And I can guarantee she'll want the bathroom at half past."

"You don't mean-" Emily began. Tee looked mischievous. "No, she hates me enough already."

"All the more reason for you to do it," said Jody.

"We'll film her reaction," Tyler offered. He high-fived Jody and they both grinned conspiratorially.

"It will be really funny," said Harry, eating a bowl of Frosties.

"Fine," Emily agreed. If it would the other kids like her more, then, why not? She was starting to fit in already.

Carmen came down at that moment, wearing a pink fluffy dressing gown which made Emily choke on her orange juice a little.

"I'm going to a party today," Carmen announced, "So the bathroom had better be free at nine thirty, got it. That means you, Jody."

Jody looked scornfully at her. She got up from the table and Tyler followed.

Emily sneaked away from the kitchen and into the living room. She went through the doors in the hallway and almost smacked into someone about the same height as her. Ryan.

"Uh, sorry," she mumbled, moving past him. He eyes her shrewdly he was difficult to read. Emily glanced once at him before running up the stairs.

She went back to her room and shut the door behind her. She got out her newest notebook out of her rucksack. She found a pen that still worked and began to write. She was writing a story about a girl called Lara Mills. It was loosely based on her own life so she decided the recent twist would be interesting to write about.

 _Lara Mills was torn away from her father and taken to a care home._ She wrote.

 _Lara was bitterly upset at having to leave her father but the care home seemed like a nice place._

 _The kids there were friendly, apart from one girl called Candice Clark. She always wore pink and too much make up._ No guesses as to who she was based on.

 _Candice was nasty to Lara and they got into a fight._

 _Lara didn't get into trouble but Candice did, which made her hate the new girl more than ever._

 _Lara met a boy called Lewis who was very mischievous. She decided she wanted to be his mate, so planned to try and spend more time with him, but she was very awkward around him. But it was not because she liked him._

This may or may not have been true for Emily.

 _But the next day, a girl called Tia -_ Emily wasn't feeling imaginative at this point _\- told Emily that she could get revenge on Candice by stealing her bathroom slot. Candice was going to a party that day. So she wanted to be in the bathroom to get ready and put lots of makeup on her face._

Emily smirked, chewing the end of her pen. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nine twenty.

There was a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in," said Emily, closing her notebook.

It was May-Li who poked her head around the door. She was holding a blue dressing gown in one hand.

"Hi, Emily," she said, "If you want to have a shower, put this on afterwards and come down to the laundry room. I'll find you something to wear until the social worker can arrange to pick up some of your own clothes, OK?"

"OK," Emily agreed, taking ' _if you want to have a shower_ ' to mean ' _can you please have a shower, you stink!_ '.

She got up, shoving her notebook under her pillow and taking the dressing gown from May-Li.

Emily followed May-Li out into the corridor to the bathroom. Kaz was just coming out, drying her damp hair with a towel.

"Bathroom's free," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Kaz," said Emily.

"Just help yourself to shampoo and shower gel," said May-Li, "The girls won't mind."

"OK," Emily said, going inside and locking the door. The undressed and got in the shower. There were a selection of products inside. One was a pink bottle - she avoided that one. One was a green shampoo with added Tea Tree oil. Where was the regular stuff? She found a blue bottle which just read _shampoo and shower gel, two-in-one._ She chose that one and started running the shower, thinking about what trouble she would cause when Carmen came upstairs to get in the bathroom.

Gosh, this place could be fun.


	6. 6: The Robot

**Hey, guys! Sorry it's been so long - but here's another chapter for you, and it's a long one, to make up for it. If you like it, please kindly leave a review :)**

 **Sorry for the awful song, but it fit, OK *shrug***

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Robot

Emily smiled to herself as she continued leisurely in the shower, running her fingers through her dark hair. She began to sing quietly to herself, a stupid ABBA song her mum had used to listen to. She didn't even like the band, but her mum had always played it in the car and in the house when her dad was at work. Emily's mum had later got a job so she saw her much less. Then the affair had started…

"Supper trooper, lights are gonna find me…"

She let the shower run on as she waited for Carmen to come pounding on the bathroom door. Some party it must be, then, or were they a regular occurrence with someone like Carmen. Emily secretly envied those kinds of popular people, but not Carmen, not after everything she'd said. Emily had never been invited to a party before.

"…but I won't feel blue…"

Emily thought about the last time she'd played that song. It was the first time she'd listened to it since her mum left. She was sitting in the living room, fiddling with the CD player. Suddenly it burst into life and the CD started playing. It was ABBA, and that song came on, loudly sounding through the room. It wasn't even a verse in before Emily's dad had stormed in and knocked the CD player over, silencing it. Emily had been so scared that day, but it wasn't the last time her dad had got angry over something that reminded him of her mum. She thought about when she would finally see her father again. He must be feeling terrible, she thought.

"…and somewhere in the crowd there's you…"

Only he wasn't there. Despite all Emily had been through, she still missed her dad, even in his drunken anger, he was still her dad. Emily winced as she got shampoo in her eyes. She turned to face the oncoming water to wash it out, rubbing at her eyes, avoiding the still present bruise. There was a pounding at the door.

"Whoever's in there needs to get out right now!" Carmen shrieked from the corridor.

"Oh?" Emily shouted back tauntingly, "Why's that then?"

"I need a shower, and this is my slot!"

"All right, calm down, princess," Emily retorted with a new-found confidence.

She could hear laughter from the corridor. After a few more long minutes and more demands from Carmen, Emily turned off the shower and stepped out. She towel-dried her hair and slipped on the blue dressing gown. Did it belong to Tee? Glancing at herself once in the mirror, Emily flipped her hair out of her face and eyed that nasty bruise. Carmen had been asking for it, she defended herself. She sighed. She then unlocked the bathroom door and opened it.

"Yes?" she asked casually, grinning at Jody and Tyler, who were filming the scene.

Carmen was livid. She scowled at Emily, wearing a pink fluffy dressing gown that matched her face and clutched a toilet bag. Emily raised her eyebrows.

"I specifically told you not to be in the bathroom at half past nine," she snapped.

"No," Emily replied innocently, "You specifically told Jody not to be in the bathroom." Harry and Finn exchanged a giggle. She caught Ryan's eye; he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Emily swallowed and tore her gaze away. Her hair dripped onto her shoulders. She rubbed her good eye and her eyes were all red from getting soap in them.

"Been crying, have you?" Carmen said spitefully.

"You'll be crying in a minute," Emily replied gruffly and Tyler said "ooh", earning a slap from Jody, to which he protested, as she had shaken the camera.

"Ugh," Carmen huffed, barging past Emily into the bathroom, causing her to veer sideways. The bathroom door slammed and Emily jumped.

"All right, show's over," Tyler called, shutting off the camcorder and turning to leave.

"Some great footage, though," said Jody, as they left. The small crowd dispersed as Emily stood in the corridor, gently touching her lip.

"So, um," she began, addressing Ryan as he was the only one left in the corridor, "Where's the laundry room?"

"Downstairs, I'll show yeh," he offered.

"Sure," Emily muttered, pulling the belt of the dressing gown tighter as she followed Ryan downstairs. He led the way through to the kitchen and into a room off of it. May-Li was already there folding some washing.

"Hi, Emily," May-Li said brightly, "I've taken your clothes from your room to wash, if that's OK?"

"Yeah, that's… fine," she said, trailing off as she noticed Ryan had already vanished. "So, what can I wear? Nothing pink, please?"

May-Li laughed. "No, OK, nothing pink," she agreed. She found a pair of grey jeans along with suitable underwear. "These jeans are Jody's," she said, "They might be a little short but they're your best. Find a top for the pile, I've got to go sort something in the office."

"OK," Emily replied, taking the clothes. "Thanks."

Mai0Li went off and Emily looked to the big pile of clothes on the worktop. She rifled through some tops, finding a black shirt, but it belonged to a boy. She selected a black vest top and eventually found a dark brown t-shirt that looked a bit big for her but it would have to do. Emily went back up to her room to change.

She passed Mo on the stairs, who was clutching an egg box. He was wearing a collared shirt with a brown and grey knitted vest on top. With his glasses he looked very formal, and his clothes made him look older than he probably was. He paused as she passed him.

"Oh, hi, Emily," he said, looking pleased. "Still want to hang out later?" he sounded a little nervous, as if he was afraid she had changed her mind.

"Sure," she said with a smile, "Just got to get changed."

"Ok," he replied, "I'll ask Mike if we can do the craft at the table, then."

"We should make a robot," Emily suggested. "If you want to, that is."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Mo exclaimed, sounded excited.

"Ask Ryan if he still wants to join, too, then." Now, why had she said that?

"I will!" Mo called over his shoulder as he continued down the stairs and into the living room.

Emily went up the stairs and almost bumped into Tee who was coming around the corner.

"Hi, Emily," Tee said with a smile. "Want to borrow my hairdryer?"

"Um, sure," she replied, "Where is it?"

"Oh, it's in my bedroom," Tee said, gesturing behind her to one of the bedroom doors, which was ajar.

"OK, um, thanks," Emily said uncertainly, trying unsuccessfully to smile back.

"And don't worry about Carmen;" Tee added kindly, "It wasn't your fault this morning."

"Well…" Emily trailed off. "I mean, you're right."

"Yeah," she considered, "But I'd stay away from Ryan if I were you."

"Why?" Emily asked suspiciously, though she wasn't surprised. Ryan was the sort people generally avoided.

"He's not the type you'd want to make an enemy of," Tee said stoutly.

"I'm guess you don't like him," Emily drawled, moving her damp hair out of her face.

"He's dangerous," she insisted, "Don't believe everything he tells you."

"OK," Emily said, faking a smile of gratitude. "Thanks, Tee."

"You're welcome, Emily," Tee said, beaming. Emily nodded as the older girl passed her. She then sighed and rolled her eyes. She was used to people badmouthing others and telling her what to think. She'd had that from both of her parents, about each other. Tee must think she owns the place, by Emily had her onside. Even if Ryan turned out to be as awful as Tee made out, she would still have her as a friend.

Emily first went back to her own room to change into the borrowed clothes. Shutting the door, she quickly dressed, hanging up the damp dressing gown on the hook on the back of her new bedroom door. The jeans were a few inches too short, exposing Emily's pale bony ankles. She put on the black vest top, which had lace on the straps and front, deciding she liked it, whoever's it was. She pulled her skinny arms through the sleeves of the brown t-shirt and pulled it over her head. She tugged her fingers through her dark curls and left the room barefoot.

She went into Tee's bedroom, which was full of pastel pinks and blues. Emily thought it suited the girl as she went further into the room. She had left the door wide open as she looked for the hairdryer. Emily opened the wardrobe, to find a lot of pink, white and blue clothing, but no hairdryer. She closed the door and looked to Tee's bedside table, which had makeup and hair accessories placed randomly – how girly – and a pink diary, which she didn't touch. It was none of her business anyway. She looked at Tee's desk, which was strewn with art supplies. A new drawing lay on the wooden top. Emily picked it up. It was of a blond girl and a taller, dark haired boy, coloured pencils.

"Snooping, are we?" said a sour voice. Emily turned, the piece of paper still in her hand. She saw Carmen in the doorway, dressed in white jeans and a pink strappy top.

"No, I was just looking for Tee's hairdryer," Emily stammered, adding, meaningfully, "She said I could borrow it."

"Well, it's right here," Carmen said, reaching under Tee's bed and producing a purple hairdryer.

"Oh, thanks," Emily said, trying to be nice. She went to take it, arm extended and the brown t-shirt slipping off of her shoulder.

"You're so skinny," Carmen almost accused. "Ever heard of eating?"

"Yes," Emily said, "I do it every day, same as you."

"Yeah, well… that's my vest," Carmen stated bluntly.

"Oh, I, um," Emily fumbled for words. "May-Li said I could borrow some clothes until I get mine back, I'll give it back!"

"No, actually," Carmen mused, "You can keep it." She sounded like she was being nice.

"What?" Emily asked in surprise.

"You can keep it," Carmen repeated, "Looks better on you."

"Oh, well," Emily said, taking the hairdryer and winding up the cord. "What happened to 'you're so skinny'?"

"Just forget I even said that," Carmen brushed it off. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen," Emily said shortly. She stood there awkwardly, not able to go back to her own room as Carmen blocked the doorway.

"Oh, I'm fifteen," Carmen replied, "Maybe we could hang out."

"I thought you had a party to go to," Emily said.

"I didn't mean today," Carmen said, a change of tone in her voice. Was she actually being kind? You'll want some new clothes, we should go shopping – you, me and Tee."

"Oh, right," Emily said, "That sounds… fun."

"Cool," said Carmen, moving away from the door. "See you later."

"Have a nice party," she mumbled in return, leaving the room and hurrying back to her own one.

She shut the door and stood there for a moment, shaking her head in disbelief. Had Mike, or May-Li, put her up to it? Emily slumped down on her bed, plugged in the hairdryer at the socket at the wall, removing her iPod charger, putting it in the little chest of drawers next to her bed. She dried her hair flipping her head upside down to dry it faster. Her curls were like big ringlets, so she shut off the hairdryer and ran her hands through her hair to make it messier.

Mo was downstairs in the kitchen, having asked Mike if they could use the dining table, to which he had agreed. He laid out newspaper on the table and had got PVA glue, paint and paintbrushes from the shed. It was all ready. He placed the egg box in the middle of the table and stood back, thinking of what he needed next. Ryan skulked through the kitchen and helped himself to a glass of juice from the fridge.

"Hey, Ryan," said Mo, getting his attention. Ryan turned, eyes narrowed.

"What?" he asked.

"Still want to join in?" Mo questioned. When Ryan didn't reply, he added. "You know, with _Emily_?"

A small smile crossed Ryan's face.

"Yeh," he answered, "Sure."

"Come help me get the rest of the treasure from my room, then," said Mo, leaving the kitchen to go upstairs.

Ryan reluctantly followed. He was only doing this stupid craft thing to try and figure out the new girl, he told himself. Purely an information retrieval, he told himself.

"You mean the recyclable rubbish," he said snidely as he followed Mo upstairs.

"It's my treasure," Mo insisted, "Go and get it, I'll get Emily."

Ryan really wished it could be the other way round, but Mo ran off down the corridor so he had no choice but to go and fetch an armful of the stuff from Mo's room. He entered, glancing around at the room he'd almost had to sleep in when he'd first arrived. Creations lined the walls and there was rubbish on the floor. Ryan sighed pitifully and scooped up a pile of egg boxes and cardboard from the corner.

Mo knocked on Emily's door. She answered after a moment, and he opened it. She was sitting on her bed, having dried her hair, and it fell in pretty curls past her shoulders. Mo blinked, before posing the question.

"We're ready to make the robot, now, Emily," said Mo, adding, "Ryan's joining in, too."

"OK," said Emily standing up and coming out of her room. "What do you need me to do?"

She saw Ryan leaving Mo's room, arms overflowing with the cardboard. He glanced at Emily, seeming slightly startled, and dropped an egg box. Emily rushed to pick it up.

"You can help Ryan and me to bring the stuff downstairs," said Mo, but it was lost on Emily, who, having straightened up, locked eyes with Ryan.

His dark brown eyes that were usually cynical met hers and Emily forgot to breathe for a second. Who was this boy? She blinked, her green-brown eyes puzzled. Ryan swallowed, glancing away.

"Ehm, thanks," he muttered.

"It's fine, I've got it," Emily replied, dodging past him into Mo's room. She shook her head at herself, stopping to take in the amazing creations on Mo's wall. If this was his treasure, he was very creative with it. A little robot stood on a small table near the window. Emily went up to it, still clutching the egg box, and flicked the switch on.

"Who are you, then, robot?" Emily wondered aloud.

"The enemy is near," an automated voice said, and Emily jumped.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Battle stations, battle stations," the robot continued.

"That's just my talk-a-bot," Mo explained, coming into his room. He turned it off. "Come on, then."

He picked up a pile of cardboard and Emily got the rest. They headed downstairs. Ryan was already sitting at the table and looking a little bored. She said down next to him, and Mo sat opposite.

"Right, then," he said, "Let's start."

Mo began by drawing a plan for the robot – two boxes for its body and head, pipe cleaners for arms and legs, and parts of the egg boxes for hands and feet. He started to colour it in with felt tips.

"You should do it red," Ryan put in.

"And add buttons on its chest," Emily suggested.

"Good idea," said Mo, colouring the robot's body in red and adding a control pad to it.

They began to cut up the necessary parts and Mo instructed them as how to put it together.

"Here," Ryan said, handing Emily the pieces of egg box which she had to make holes in.

"Thanks," she replied, smiling slightly. She made holes in the cardboard with the scissors and Mo threaded the pipe cleaners through.

As they worked, Ryan tried to get information out of Emily. He wanted to make her talk, to find out who she was. Calculated as it seemed, he knew he was good at finding things out.

"So, Emily," he began, in a casually quiet voice. "Been in care before?"

"No," she said shortly, concentrating on drawing the key-pad for the robot.

"Why yeh here, then?" he pressed.

"Because some neighbour phoned social services," Emily muttered, putting down her pencil and selecting a black marker to outline the keys she had drawn.

"Yeh, they do that," Ryan said regretfully. He then pulled himself together. "Live with yeh parents?"

Emily's hand slipped and a black line appeared on the paper.

"Oh, don't worry;" said Mo, "You didn't ruin your design. It looks really good so far." He was wrapping the pipe cleaners in tin foil for a metallic effect.

Emily forced a smile and continued with her drawing.

"My parents are divorced," Emily explained, "I live… lived with my dad."

"Ah," Ryan mused, and decided not to ask any more questions. A few of the kids passed through the kitchen for snacks or to go outside. Carmen poked her head round the door and said goodbye before she left for her party. Johnny was apparently out training and Tee had gone to the park to meet him. The little kids were probably in the living room.

When the robot had been assembled, they left it to dry and tidied up the table.

"Want to paint it later?" Mo asked.

"OK," said Emily.

"Ryan?" he added, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, brushing some snippets of paper off his red shirt.

"Nah," he replied evasively, "You two can manage without me."

"All right," Mo agreed. "We can take this stuff back to my room…" Ryan had disappeared again. "Without Ryan's help," he said, shrugging.

"Let him be," said Emily, "He does that a lot."

"Yeah," said Mo, piling up the cardboard. After they had binned what they could no longer use, the pile could easily be carried by one person. He placed the robot on the window sill and took up the cardboard in his arms. "I'll take this back to my room, you can go watch TV or something," he offered.

"OK," said Emily, going into the living room. Jody and Tyler were at the pool table and Harry stood nearby, watching their game. Floss was watching TV with Finn. Sitting down at the round table, Emily almost felt at home.

"Doing something with Mo, were you?" Jody called from the pool table.

"Uh, yeah," Emily replied.

"That's nice," Jody said. "Mo's a good kid."

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "He's really friendly."

"A bit too friendly, eh?" Tyler joked, and Emily rolled her eyes.

"You should do something with us, later," Jody suggested, making Emily feel suddenly popular.

"Like what?" she asked.

"We should go to the park, or something," she said.

"Good idea," Tyler put in.

"Yeah, all right," Emily agreed. "I'll ask Mike, I suppose."


	7. 7: Back Home We Go

**Hi, readers! Here's another longer chapter for you all, I tried to update as soon as I could, and I have plenty ideas for the rest of the story, so updates should be more frequent. Enjoy! xxx**

Chapter 7: Back Home We Go

Carmen was still at the party, having left an hour ago; it had started at eleven apparently. Having checked the office, Emily went into the kitchen where May-Li was preparing lunch in the kitchen and Kaz was helping.

"Hello, Emily," said May-Li, "Can I help you with anything?"

"I was just looking for Mike," Emily replied quietly. Bailey ran through the kitchen, following a bounding Mischief. The dog barked excitedly and his tongue lolled out. Emily shied away, backing into the table.

"Bailey, I'm trying to make the lunch," said May-Li, putting down a bread roll and folding her arms.

"Sorry, May-Li," said Bailey, grabbing Mischief by the collar and dragging him back outside.

"Mike's just popped out," Kaz explained, coming around the worktop. "Are you OK?"

"Yes, um, fine," Emily stammered, standing up straighter. "Will he be back soon?"

"Yes, should be," said Kaz. "Did you want to ask him something?"

"Yeah, but…" Emily paused. Seeing as Mike wasn't in... "Um, May-Li?" she asked hesitantly, and then cleared her throat.

"Yeah, Emily?" May-Li asked, returning to her sandwich-making.

"Can I go to the park with Tyler and Jody after lunch?" Emily winced slightly, sensing a 'no'.

"They asked you if you wanted to go, did they?"

Emily nodded.

"Well, I don't see why not," said May-Li. "Check with Mike when he gets back, but you can assume it's a 'yes'."

"Thank you," Emily said, smiling. She went back into the living room.

"Did you find Mike?" Jody asked, putting down her pool cue.

"Yeah, did he let us go?" Tyler added.

"Mike's out right now," Emily explained, "But I asked May-Li and she said yes."

"Awesome," said Jody, and Tyler high-fived her.

"I've got to check with Mike when he gets back," said Emily.

"Oh, he'll say yes," said Jody. "You're the new girl, and you've probably got a clean record."

"I should think so," said Emily.

"Goody-two-shoes, are we?" Tyler joked.

"Well, I've never been in care before," she said. She didn't really mind telling them, now.

Jody raised her eyebrows.

"Never?" Tyler said incredulously, asking the question Jody wanted to.

"Never," Emily repeated, "I was living at home till… yesterday."

"Woah," said Jody. "I never would have guessed."

"Who knew, right?" Emily said weakly, shrugging. "But I haven't told anyone else." Except Ryan… how had _that_ happened?

"Well, you're lucky then," Tyler said seriously, "Most of us have been in care for ages."

"Are those my jeans?" Jody asked, changing the subject, with a grin.

"Oh, yeah," Emily said, looking down at the grey trousers, "Hope you don't mind."

"No, it's fine," Jody said, "They're just a little short on you."

"Yeah," Emily said, laughing a little.

"Jody's just short," Tyler said, laughing.

"I'm thirteen and I'm not short," Jody said, "For my age."

"I guess so," Tyler said, shrugging.

Emily went and sat down on the sofa. Floss looked up at her.

"Hi, new girl," she said.

"Hi, Floss," Emily said, remembering her name.

"You don't smell anymore," Floss spoke-yelled in her obnoxious voice. Did she have to say everything loudly?

"Wow," Emily muttered.

"Floss," Finn said reproachfully. "I like you, no matter how you smell."

"Um, thanks," Emily said. Tyler and Jody snickered, elbowing each other. Emily shook her head and sighed. "See you guys at lunch." She got up and went out into the hallway.

She noticed that the office door was ajar. Curiously, she went up to the door and pushed it open. The computer was on, and Emily rounded the corner of the desk. Some files were open. She sensed that they shouldn't be; they were the private files on all the kids there. A few were open including hers and she would have opened Ryan's and maybe a few others out of curiosity but she quickly closed all of the windows except one, her own. Emily skimmed the small amount of text there; there wasn't much, some stuff on her home-life and behaviour. She closed that one too and shut down the computer.

She stood up and tucked the chair under the desk. She turned to see Ryan pressed against the wall by the curtain and she jumped. Then she sighed.

"Jeez, Ryan," she breathed, "You shouldn't be in here."

"Neither should yew," he retorted in a whisper.

Suddenly the front door was heard opening, and voices chattered as two people entered. Ryan dived under the desk and Emily was left with no hiding place as she saw Tee and Johnny coming through the hallway. Tee was wearing a pink fluffy jumper and a grey skirt, and Johnny was in sports kit, holding a water bottle. Tee turned and saw Emily, looking suspicious.

"Hi, Emily," she said, coming to the open door. "Why are you in here?"

"I was just looking for Mike," Emily quickly lied, trying not to look under the desk where she spied Ryan's scuffed black shoe. "But, I guess he's not in here."

"Yeah, May-Li said he popped out," said Tee.

"Hi, Emily," said Johnny, smiling at her.

"Hey," she said, coming out of the office and closing the door behind her.

"You OK?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," Emily mumbled. "I think lunch is nearly ready, actually."

"Oh, great," said Johnny enthusiastically, "I'll go and see if May-Li needs any help."

"You haven't seen Ryan, have you?" Tee asked warily, glancing around as her brother went through to the kitchen.

"Oh, uh, no, I haven't," Emily said slowly, "I haven't seen him since this morning; he's probably in his room or something," she elaborated.

"OK," Tee said, seemingly satisfied, "Well, I'm glad you're settling in fine."

"Yeah, I am," Emily said, smiling widely at her. As soon as Tee had turned her back, Emily's face went all serious and she turned to see if Ryan was still under the desk in the office. Glancing back once to see that Tee was out of sight, she opened the door and whispered Ryan's name. He crept out from under the desk and smirked at her.

"Not bad," he commended.

"Well, at least I didn't read the files," Emily hissed at him as he closed the door behind him.

"I was curious," he said with a shrug. "They haven't got much on yeh."

"Well, of course not," she said.

"Come on," Ryan muttered, going up the stairs. Sighing, Emily followed.

Ryan led the way to his room, which Emily realised was next door to hers, and closed the door behind him. The room was massive, with an en suite bathroom. There were drawings and paintings on the walls and there was a double bed in the middle of the room. Emily's eyes widened as she took in a room that was the same size as her living room back home.

"Nice, isn't it?" Ryan said, jumping onto the bed and leaning back with his hands behind her head.

Emily tentatively sat at the end of the bed.

"Why were you really reading the files?" she demanded.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "That's easy," he drawled, "I like finding out about people. I get their backstory, and can find certain details about them."

"So you can – what? Make up a story about them?" Emily scoffed.

"So I can find their… weak spots," Ryan said calculatedly.

"Seriously?" Emily muttered. "Well, spill." She was vaguely interested now.

"Tee's weak spot is Johnny, Harry's – a girl called Sapphire, Jody – her older brother, Tyler – his mum's mental state," Ryan said, in such a cold tone that Emily took a second glance at him.

"OK," she said slowly, "What's mine?" her tone was dangerous.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Ryan said mysteriously, "But I've a fair idea."

"Go on," Emily said, fearing what she would hear from this icy boy.

"Well, your dad's an alky," he said, removing his hands from behind his head, resting one on his chest and the other on the duvet by his side.

"So what, my dad's an alcoholic," Emily said defensively. "It's not his fault mum went off with someone else."

"He has hurt you," Ryan's voice caught in his throat. "Yeh know what, it doesn't matter."

"It's fine, though, I don't really care," Emily said. She looked at him. "Wait; were your parents the same?"

"Mam was an alky," Ryan said, frowning, looking away, "She used to leave me and… me sister... alone in the house."

"I'm sorry," Emily said, reaching for his hand, which he let her take. His hand was cold, and the bones of his fingers were prominent like his cheekbones. His fingers tightened on hers.

"Well," he said, with a wry smile, "Welcome to The Dumping Ground."

"Is that seriously what you guys call it?" Emily said incredulously.

"Yeh, it's pretty accurate," he muttered, withdrawing his hand and folding his arms.

"Dad didn't mean for this to happen," Emily muttered, looking away at the floor.

"It would have happened eventually," Ryan said.

"Yeah…" Emily trailed off. She sniffed. Ryan sat up and swung his legs round so that his feet touched the floor. He glanced at her and took her wrist. The bruise was over a week old and was yellowing now, not very visible.

"He did this to yew," he accused. Emily didn't move.

"He didn't mean it," she whispered. Ryan let go of her wrist.

"Not always," he muttered. "Thanks for telling me that stuff."

"It's OK," Emily said. "Why did you tell me all that?"

"Well, yer not going to tell anyone," Ryan said seriously, "And yeh probably won't be around for long."

"I suppose," Emily muttered.

"And besides," Ryan continued, leaning towards her, his lips close to her ear.

There was a banging on the door and they both jumped. It immediately opened and Tee stood there, surprised to see Ryan and Emily so close to each other.

"Ever heard of privacy?" Ryan almost yelled, drawing back from Emily. He held out a hand incredulously. "Close the door!" Emily looked at the floor as Tee said nothing.

"Mike says lunch is ready," Tee said after a moment, not impressed. "You should come downstairs, both of you." She looked coldly at Emily who caught her eye guiltily. Tee turned on heel and stalked away. So much for keeping Tee onside… Emily stood up and checked herself. The only thing out of place was the blush on her cheeks. She went to the door and turned to see Ryan scowling, still sitting on the bed.

"We should go," she said.

"Yeh, yer right," he muttered. He stood up, pushing his shirt-sleeves back up his arms. They went downstairs where the kids were starting to sit down at the table. They were having a late lunch at half past one, and Carmen had returned from her party. Mike had returned and he caught Emily's arm.

"Emily," he addressed her, "Mind if I speak to you for a moment, in the office?"

She exchanged a glance with Ryan, whose eyes were narrowed.

"Did I… did I do something wrong?" she asked, confused.

"No, no," Mike said, ushering her through to the office. "I just wanted to talk to you about the arrangement here."

"Arrangement?" she shook her head.

"Yes, with you staying here," he continued, "Your father can't look after you at the moment, but it should be only temporary."

"I know, but-" Emily said. "Temporary? I guess that's not too bad."

"Yes said Mike. "I've arranged for you to go home this afternoon, to get some of your things." He looked at her for approval.

"Oh," Emily said in surprise, "OK," she added. "But Tyler and Jody wanted me to go to the park with them after lunch."

"There's always tomorrow," Mike reasoned.

"OK," Emily said, "I'll tell them."

"All right, you're free to go," he said. "Go and get your lunch."

Emily smiled at him and left the office. She was the last to get to the table and the last seat was opposite Ryan, again. The food was bread rolls filled with cheese, ham and some with tomato. Emily helped herself to a cheese roll as all the kids piled their plates. She took a handful of crisps as well, and some lettuce and cucumber. Ryan didn't have a lot on his plate, but Bailey and Tyler had generous portions.

"Oh, Tyler, Jody," Emily spoke up, and flushed red as the whole table went silent, "I can't go to the park with you later, sorry."

"Park?" Finn piped.

"I want to go to the park," Floss complained.

"No one is going to the park," said Mike, taking a bread roll for himself.

"Why?" Jody questioned, as the talk began again around the table.

"I'm, uh, getting some stuff from my old place," Emily said.

"Oh, OK," Jody said, a little disappointed.

"Maybe another day," Tyler put in.

"Didn't you bring all your stuff with you when you transferred?" Jody asked.

"It's at my house," Emily reluctantly gave away.

"You're going back home?" Tee asked.

"Are you going to stay there?" Mo asked, concerned.

"I thought your parents couldn't look after you," Johnny added, then looked guilty for saying so.

"What's wrong with her parents?" Carmen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's nothing wrong with my dad," Emily exclaimed, slamming both hands on the table.

"Calm down," Tyler said, sounding alarmed.

"We never said there was," Tee said, trying to smooth the situation over.

"What, is there a reason your dad can't look after you?" Carmen added, "Where's your mum?"

"Carmen," May-Li hissed.

"Do yew all want to shut up!?" Ryan yelled, standing up.

"Ryan," Mike cautioned.

Emily stood up and ran from the table, out of the room and upstairs.

"You idiots," Ryan said snidely, sitting back down.

"Ryan," May-Li said, sighing.

"Can you not say those things?" Mike said to them all, passing a hand across his forehead. "Emily's having a hard time at the moment, and I expect all of you to treat her with a bit of respect."

The kids started to mutter among themselves as they continued their meal. Ryan stared at his meal, but no longer felt hungry. Well, he hadn't been that hungry to start with. He might have actually _said_ those things to anyone else, but now he was defending the person! What was going on? Emily was just another care kid; _she wasn't special_ , he told himself. He picked at his lunch but gave up after about five minutes.

Ryan got to his feet, his chair scraping the floor.

"Don't want to finish your lunch, Ryan?" May-Li asked him from the kitchen where she stood eating a sandwich and talking to Mike, who was also eating his lunch.

"Nah," he said evasively, scowling at the kids who turned to look. "'Lost my appetite."

He went back to his room and reached under his bed. He pulled out a sketchbook. He flicked through it. On each page was a sketch of different kid. The thick A5 book was almost full. Underneath each picture was the kid's full name, and notes on them – not specifically labelled, but – a description of their personality, their background, and their weaknesses. He turned to a fresh page and began to sketch Emily. He hoped it would help distance himself from her, like the others, but he doubted it would work.

Emily sat in her room, scrawling furiously in her notebook. She tore out the previous page that she had written before drying her hair that morning, and crumpled it, throwing it across the room. On the next page she wrote this in scribbly writing:

 _Lara was kidding herself if she felt like she would fit in here. She had shared her background with Lewis, and learnt a bit about him, too. They seemed to be friends. He even defended her when the kids started asking questions at lunch. They didn't care how she felt, most of them. They were just nosy and wanted to hurt her. Lara hated it there. She was going to leave as soon as she got the chance._

There was a knock on the bedroom door. Emily scrambled to shove the notebook under her mattress before going and opening the door. Mike was standing there. He was holding a plastic container with a sandwich and crisps in it.

"Let's go, then," he said, "May-Li packed this as you didn't finish your lunch. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Emily answered, taking the box. She followed Mike downstairs and there were a few kids going back and forth through the hallway. Ryan leaned against the door-frame outside the living room, his gaze cold and unreadable. Emily blinked and looked away, allowing Mike to usher her through the front door and into the car. They arrived at her house.

"I wasn't sure where your house was," said Mike, "So I had to look it up on Google maps." He laughed, and Emily forced a smile. He had a key for the front door, sorted out by social services, no doubt, and they went inside. Mike handed her a black bag, telling her to fill it with the clothes she wore most often, along with anything else she wanted to take back with her.

The hallway and living room were as messy as ever. The beer cans piled up on the table and by the sofa. Crisp packets littered the stairs and every visible surface. Emily climbed the stairs as Mike took a look around downstairs. He was concerned. Clearly, any tidying or washing that got done around here was done by Emily. That was no life for a child, doing everything for the remaining parent. He was glad that he could take care of her and keep her out of trouble.

Emily went into her room and began to pick up clothes from the floor. She picked up two pairs of jeans, her school skirt and a couple of white shirts. She piled the clothes on the bed and looked around for more. Opening her wardrobe, she didn't find much; a couple of t-shirts that still fitted her, some underwear and socks that hadn't been worn and a grey hoodie. She shoved it all in the bag and left it in her bedroom. Out of curiosity, she wandered into her parents' bedroom, which her dad never used anymore. Since her mum left, he had used the spare bedroom when he wasn't passed out on the sofa.

The room had pale pink walls and five years of dust covered the sheets and surfaces. Her mum's make-up table with its mirror that had light bulbs around it was still there. Emily rummaged through the drawers, finding her mum's powder and old lipsticks. She grabbed a handful of it, feeling sentimental about it. She put it on the bed, going over to the wardrobe and looking inside. All of her dad's clothes were gone; Emily always put them in her dad's cupboard in the other room whenever she washed them. There were pretty dresses in there, in blue, pink and green.

Emily went to the mirror, holding them against herself. They looked as though they would fit her. The green one fell to her knees and had a square neckline. The blue one was longer and had shiny straps. Not really feeling like she was stealing them, she placed those on the bed as well. There were a few patterned shirts and skinny jeans which Emily also pinched, along with a pair of sturdy brown lace-up boots that were her size. Having rifled through her mum's old clothes and selecting another armful, she went to fetch the black bag from her room and filled it with the clothes, shoes and make-up. The bag was only just full with these items, as hardly any of them were actually Emily's to begin with, and she lugged it downstairs where Mike was waiting.

"Got everything?" he asked, taking the bag from her.

"Yeah…" Emily said, "So, when do I get to come back here? Where's dad?"

She had assumed he'd be at work, but he only worked a half day on Sundays.

"Your father," Mike explained, "Is attending a support centre for alcoholics at the moment."

"He's trying to get off the booze?" Emily asked, surprised and happy, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mike brushed off this question. "It's a residential centre," he said slowly, "And the course he's on… is for three months."

"Three months?" Emily exclaimed. "You told me this would be temporary!"

"Yes," Mike said, with difficulty, "I can see that you're not used to a group home, and I wanted to try and find another placement for you."

"But I want to come home!" Emily said in anguish, tears forming in her eyes. "This is where I live, I've always lived here. I need dad to come home and then everything will be fine."

"It's not always that easy," Mike said, "Your father was struggling, and now a support system is in place to help both you and your dad."

"But…" Emily trailed off. Her hands shook as she looked around her house. They were silent for a moment.

"Let's just go home, eh?" Mike suggested, putting an arm around her. She looked around the messy room, and sighed, a sob shaking her shoulders. She nodded. Back to The Dumping Ground it was.


	8. 8: When Things Are Revealed

**Hey, guys! This story is going strong! Two updates in a week? I feel like this story is really taking off, the words are flying onto the page!**

 **So, this chapter is reeeallly long, I tried to wrap it up (where I had planned to end it), but the bits in the middle became more detailed and interesting as I typed it. I would have split it into two, but have 4,500 odd words for your reading pleasure.**

 **Enjoy! xx**

* * *

Chapter 8: When Things Are Revealed

May-Li walked up the stairs with the washing basket, going into the kids' rooms and picking up any clothes on the floor that needed washing. She sighed as she nudged Bailey's bedroom door open with her foot and saw his football kit lying next to his bed. She stooped to pick it up and put it in the basket. She picked up Harry's pyjamas from the floor of his and Finn's room, and then crossed to Emily's room. The door was ajar, and May-Li entered. There weren't any clothes lying around, except for the borrowed pyjamas that had been thrown on Emily's bed. May-Li placed down the basket when she saw a scrunched up piece of notebook paper near the door. Picking it up and un-scrunching it, she flattened it out against the wall and skimmed her eyes over the small scrawled handwriting. It read:

 _Lara felt like she fit in at the place they called The Dumping Ground. The other kids seemed nice, well, most of them. She liked Jade, Tom and she thought she liked Lewis. Candice was still a bit mean, but had surprisingly behaved nicely towards Lara, which was very strange. Lara was invited to help Mark build a robot out of his 'treasure. It wasn't real treasure, but scraps of cardboard, pipe cleaners and egg boxes – treasure from the recycling bin! Lara had been warned by Tia about Lewis, but she hadn't really listened. It was up to her to decide who she could be friends with and who she could like._

 _Lara was pleased with her new home, but she still missed her dad. She would see him soon but until then she felt happy at The Dumping Ground._

May-Li figured that Emily had written it; it was a story, with the names changed. May-Li could guess who most of the people were; Emily was Lara, that was easy, and Mark was clearly Mo – who else built robots out of recycled materials? May-Li wondered why Emily had scrunched it up. The excerpt was quite positive, and it seemed Emily had felt like she had fitted in with the other kids. So what had changed?

"May-Li?" she heard Mo ask, as he popped his head round the door. "What's that?" he asked, noticing the paper in her hand.

"Oh, nothing," she lied, stuffing it in the pocket of her black skinny jeans. "What is it, Mo?"

"Well, I was wondering if, when she gets back, that is," Mo stammered, "If… Emily would like to help paint the robot we made?"

"Uh, I don't think so, Mo," May-Li said, "She might not be feeling up to it when she gets back."

"Oh, OK," Mo mumbled, "I understand. I would probably feel like that, too."

May-Li smiled at his perceptiveness. "Well, maybe you could ask her tomorrow."

"All right," he said, smiling. He disappeared away to his room. Mo was a good kid, always sensitive to others and always had the best intentions.

May-Li went back downstairs as she was approached by Tee and Johnny.

"Can I help you two?" she asked.

"Well," Johnny began, "We know that Emily is going through some stuff at the moment."

"And we wanted to see what we could do to help," Tee finished. May-Li considered this, going through to the kitchen, Tee and Johnny following her. She put the basket in the laundry room, coming back into the kitchen. She folded her arms.

"Well, for a start you can tell the others to be more sensitive," she said seriously, "Anything they say could have an effect on Emily at the moment."

Johnny nodded soberly. "I understand."

"And, just," May-Li fumbled for words, "Be careful around her, I guess. Don't tiptoe around her or anything, but just don't get involved if she wants to keep to herself. She's not lived in a group home before."

"OK," said Tee, nodding. "But-"

"Another thing," May-Li added shortly, "I don't want any of you guys to be trying to tell her what to do. As she's going to be here a while, she can make her own choices, especially," May-Li said meaningfully, "If it's to do with who she spends her time with. OK?"

Tee glanced away guiltily and Johnny eyed his sister, confused.

"Now," she said briskly, "Unless you're here for extra chores, I suggest you go and find something else to do. Go on!" She motioned for them to leave her. Jonny shrugged and left the kitchen, followed by his sister.

"What was that all about?" Johnny asked, leaning against the banister in the hallway. "What have you said to Emily?"

A slim figure in black skinny jeans skulked down the stairs, eager to see if Emily had returned. He heard voices in the hallway and stopped just before he would be seen. Ryan backed behind the wall, eavesdropping on the Taylor siblings.

"Nothing!" said Tee. Johnny folded his arms, looking at her knowingly. "Well…" Tee mumbled, "I just warned her about Ryan, that's all."

Ryan raised an eyebrow and continued to listen.

"Ryan's my mate," Johnny said, confused, "Why would you tell her she can't hang out with him?"

Ryan smirked, keeping behind the wall.

"Because he can't be trusted," Tee insisted, her claim weakening.

"Ryan's a good kid," Johnny considered, "He stopped me getting arrested, remember?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Tee, you should just leave it," he said sternly. "Emily's old enough to decide for herself what Ryan's like." Tee looked as though she was about to say something else, but Johnny stopped her. "Just leave it." He stalked away into the living room and sat at the round table with Tyler and Jody.

Tee sighed, shaking her head. No one believed her about Ryan. But they didn't know what he'd said, how he'd threatened her.

Ryan came down the stairs with that smirk on his face. He casually passed Tee. She looked alarmed when she saw him, and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"It's not nice to spread rumours," he muttered. "Tee," he added knowingly, disappearing from sight.

Tee felt a chill as she realised Ryan had probably overheard the whole conversation. She had to be more careful. She would expose him, no matter what.

The door unlocked and Mike entered, carrying a black bag, followed by Emily whose eyes were red from crying. She looked pale and avoided Tee's eyes as she came into the hallway. Some of the kids had heard the front door and Harry, Finn and Floss rushed into the hallway.

"Emily," Finn exclaimed, "You're back." He sounded pleased to see her, which made Emily smile a little.

"Are you going to be staying here, now?" Harry inquired.

"Not now, Harry," Mike said in a hushed tone, ushering the little kids back into the living room.

Ryan appeared in the hallway and Tee glanced at him in distaste. Emily raised her gaze and met Ryan's eyes. He was unreadable, as always. May-Li came into the hallway.

"Um, Mike?" she asked, "Can I talk to you, please?" She sounded quite urgent and Emily vaguely wondered if it was about her.

"Yes, of course," Mike answered, seeing Ryan and sensing an opportunity. "Ryan," he said, and the lanky boy came towards him, suspicious about what he would be asked to do. "Take Emily's things up to her room, would you?"

"Um, sure," Ryan mumbled, getting the black bag dumped in his arms. He seemed to struggle under the weight for a second, before standing up straighter. He went up the stairs and Emily went after him. Mike followed May-Li into the office and shut the door. She pulled out the piece of paper with concern and Tee could see them through the window. She was puzzled, and after a few minutes of not being noticed, she left the hallway.

Ryan was a little red in the face and Emily suppressed the urge to grin as he lugged the bag up the stairs and into her room. He dumped it on her bed and the bag finally split, the boots and clothes spilling out. Emily stooped to gather up the clothes in her arms and Ryan dropped into a crouch beside her.

"What's all this, then?" he asked curiously.

"Just a bunch of stuff I nicked from my mum's wardrobe," Emily muttered, piling the clothes on her bed without attempting to fold them.

"Nicked?" Ryan sounded interested now, "Didn't she want it?"

"She left years ago," Emily said, not looking at him. "She left us- it… all behind. I don't see why she would come back for it."

"She must have been well off," he considered, finding the green dress that had a shimmery layer on top. He rubbed the fabric between one finger and thumb, thinking about how much he could get for a dress like that. He quickly pushed that thought away.

"She liked to think so," Emily said, standing up and taking the dress from him. She laid it on top of the pile and looked at it. "She had a good job, and was always spending money on herself. Anything she bought me before… I've long since outgrown."

"Fair enough," Ryan said, also standing and eyeing the pile of clothes. He picked up the brown boots. "Here," he said, offering them to her, " 're these yer size?"

"Should be," she replied, taking them. "Mum never wore these. Never had the reason to, she hated walking."

"At least yeh'll get some use out of them," he considered, folding his arms.

"Ryan?" they heard Tee call, and Ryan moved towards the door. Tee came up to the door, glancing at him.

"Well, thanks for helping me get the stuff upstairs," Emily said meaningfully, glancing at Tee.

"Uh, no problem," Ryan muttered, slightly taken aback. "What is it, Tee?" he asked sweetly, earning a look of disgust from Tee.

"May-Li wants your help in the kitchen," she explained. "You haven't done your chores today, apparently."

"I have," Ryan said indignantly, knowing full well that he had, in fact, forgotten to put the dry dishes away after lunch.

"Well, she still wants you to go downstairs," Tee said, as Ryan moved past her, jolting her shoulder a little as he did so.

"Hey, Tee," Emily said, forcing a smile.

"Hi, Emily," Tee replied, coming into the room, "Is this all your stuff from your house?"

"Yeah," Emily answered, "A lot of it's my mum's, but she won't need it."

"Oh," Tee said tentatively, "Why's that, then?"

"She left me and dad ages ago," she said, picking up a patterned button-up shirt that had green and blue swirly patterns on. "This stuff hasn't been touched in over five years."

"I'm sorry," Tee said. "Need any help putting it away?"

"Nah, I don't feel like doing it tonight," Emily muttered, moving the clothes to the chair that was in her room. She put the shoes under the chair. "Maybe tomorrow... Thank you, though, you've been really nice to me since I arrived."

"It's OK," said Tee, smiling at her, as if the whole business with Ryan was forgotten, "Dinner will be ready soon, so you can come downstairs if you feel like it."

"All right," Emily agreed, and Tee left her room. Emily finished transferring the clothes to the chair, putting the make-up in the small chest of drawers in front of the window. She scrunched up the plastic bag and threw it in a corner of her room. Kicking off her shoes, she sat on the edge of her bed.

Suppressed memories of her house - how it used to be and how it was now - flooded back to her and Emily felt all the muscles in her body tense up. She felt dizzy, like she had before she had fainted yesterday in the garden. Was it only yesterday she had gone into care? It seemed like an eternity since she had seen her father last. Dark spots clouded her vision and her breathing quickened. She pushed away the thoughts of her father and instead Ryan's face popped into her mind. Confused, she got control of her breathing and her head cleared. Suddenly exhausted, she lay back on her bed.

Emily had tried to make sense of these moments of panic. She tried to find a pattern between them, but found no correlation between the causes. Firstly on Friday, when the police and social services had pounded on her door. Second, when she had first encountered the dog. And now again, having returned from home. Shaking her head, she threw an arm over her eyes and tried to stop the persisted shaking of her hands.

She wasn't hungry. She didn't feel like socialising. Nothing could remove her from her room and her thoughts right now.

Sometime later, there was a knock on the door; May-Li was asking if Emily wanted to come down for dinner. Emily replied that she did not. After the offer of having food brought up to her room, which Emily refused, she was left alone until the next day.

May-Li had spoken to Mike about the piece of paper she had found in Emily's room. He read over it and they exchanged a few ideas about what it could mean. Emily aspired to be a writer; possibly, either that or it was just a diary in the third person with the names changed. Of course, they didn't have the whole notebook; that was private, so that was all they could guess at that time. They both decided to keep an eye on her.

* * *

The next day was Sunday and Emily dragged herself out of bed at past ten o'clock. She guessed that most of the kids would be up already. The landing was quiet as she ventured out of her room to the bathroom. The door opened and Ryan exited, toothbrush in hand. He was wearing a black t-shirt, which revealed his skinny arms and sharp elbows, and red plaid pyjama trousers. His light brown hair looked soft and brushed his pale forehead, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

He eyed Emily's similar appearance. She'd got hardly any sleep herself. Her hair was messy and her pale skin made her dark circles stand out even more. Her eyes were a little red and she was wearing the blue borrowed pyjamas.

"Mornin'", was all he said.

"Morning," Emily got out, disappearing into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She felt ravenous now, having not eaten dinner the night before.

Ryan paused outside the bathroom door, in thought, before going back to his room to get changed. He selected his usual black skinny jeans and put on a grey shirt over a t-shirt. He paced around his room as he buttoned it up, then going to the mirror to push his hair back from his face. He couldn't shift the dark circles recently, tracing back to the night he'd first slept badly since he'd last suffered with insomnia or nightmares. Two days ago… Friday. The day Emily had arrived? So, she was disturbing his sleep, now? It was just a coincidence, he told himself as he pulled on his socks.

Emily went back to her room, thankfully not passing anyone else on the way. She looked through the pile of clothes and pulled on the black vest that Carmen had said she could keep, a pair of blue jeans of her mum's that fitted her perfectly and she looked for a top to wear. She found one of her mum's – it was a white long-sleeved top with sheer fabric on the shoulders. Pulling it on and deciding she liked it, she found her hairbrush in the pile of things she'd retrieved from home and tugged it through her dark curls. Finding herself tired but presentable, Emily decided to go downstairs.

Entering the living room, she found the little kids watching TV and Bailey and Johnny were playing pool. Tyler and Jody watched them, Tee sat at the computer with Carmen at her shoulder peering at the screen. Bailey and Johnny looked up from their game when Emily entered and Johnny looked at her in surprise. Carmen looked over and something clouded her expression.

"You look nice," Harry piped up from the sofa.

"Thanks," Emily replied shyly. She passed the sofa, coming towards the pool table where Johnny had laid down his pool cue. Tyler grinned at Jody and she responded with a knowing smirk.

"Have you had breakfast, Emily?" Johnny asked her, "I can fix something for you, if you want."

Tee shook her head at this, and Carmen laughed. Bailey looked affronted that the pool game had some to an early finish.

"I can fix something for you," Tyler mocked him in a silly voice.

"Hey, man, what about our game?" Bailey asked.

"We can finish it later," Johnny shrugged, following Emily into the kitchen.

"You should finish your game with Bailey," she told him. "I can fix my own breakfast."

"No, I insist," he said.

"OK, fine," Emily replied with a laugh. Ryan came into the kitchen and stopped short at the scene before him.

Johnny got a frying pan and put the hob on. He got a box of eggs from the fridge.

"How do you like your eggs?" he joked, putting a little oil in the pan and waving a spatula at her.

Emily shook her head and smiled.

"Seriously, I can do it myself," she said with another laugh, "I'm used to it."

Ryan's gaze hardened, though he could put his finger on why seeing Johnny and Emily laughing together would affect him such.

"No, let me," Johnny said, "It's probably a while since you had someone cook you breakfast."

Emily touched her forehead as a memory came flooding back to her.

 _She was seven years old and dad was sat at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. Her mum was at the cooker, making fried eggs for them all for breakfast, which was unlike her as she rarely cooked from scratch. Emily peered around her mum to see the eggs sizzling in the pan. Suddenly she got to close and her mum shoved her out of the way._

 _"You're making me burn them, silly girl," her mum said, bringing tears to seven-year-old Emily's eyes._

 _"Hey, no need for that," her dad put in._

 _"Don't get involved," her mum had snapped, turning from the eggs which had started to burn. The smoke alarm burst into life and began to beep continuously._

 _"For goodness' sake," her mum had yelled, turning off the gas and fanning the place with a towel. She then turned to Emily and gripped her wrist hard._

 _"Stupid girl," she had said, pushing her away._

 _That was the last time anyone had made breakfast for Emily. A week later, her mum had left for good._

 _She'd sent a present every birthday since, thinking that was enough, but the last time Emily had heard from her mum was through a gift on her twelfth birthday - an iPod. The gifts had stopped after that and Emily was left no address, no phone number: nothing._

Emily reeled back, hand to her head and tears coming to her eyes.

"Go and finish you game," she demanded, "I can do it myself." She had turned away from him so he couldn't see her face. "Go!"

"All right," he said, holding up both hands and putting down the spatula. He left the room, passing Ryan but barely noticing him. Talk about touchy, he thought, then regretted it as he had promised to be more sensitive towards Emily. He sighed and went back to his game.

Ryan entered as Emily turned to the stove and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. He took in her appearance and raised an eyebrow appreciatively. Her blue jeans fitted her nicely and the white top was thin enough to reveal her black vest underneath. Her head looked nice too, loose curls that tumbled past her shoulders. He then mentally slapped himself as she was clearly upset. She fumbled with the egg box, cracking an egg into the pan and watching it silently as it cooked.

"Hey," he said softly as he approached her. She glanced up as he went to stand by her side but said nothing. He got a plate from the cupboard and placed it next to her on the worktop. She turned the egg over and when it was ready, turned off the gas and transferred the egg to her plate. A few tears fell and she brushed them away.

"It's all right," he said quietly, as she leaned on the worktop for support. "Yeh didn't burn them."

For some reason, Emily laughed at this, and Ryan looked slightly alarmed. She grinned at him, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"No, I didn't," she said. Ryan raised an eyebrow but went to get his own breakfast. He put on two slices of toast and when they had popped, offered one to Emily.

"You only want one?" she asked, sitting down at the table with the butter and a knife.

"Yeh," he said, "Not too hungry."

She shrugged, taking the toast and buttering it. After she had done so, she folded it over with the egg inside and began to eat it. It was good. It had been so long since Emily had eaten eggs for breakfast, so much so that it felt like a luxury. Ryan buttered his slice of toast and nibbled at it.

"Hey, ehm," Ryan mumbled, "Sorry, uh, for snappin' at yeh yesterday."

Emily struggled to remember when this had occurred. 'Are yeh stupid or sumthin'?' His voice rang in her head.

"Oh, you mean for calling me stupid?" She said with a smirk. "I'd quite forgotten."

"Oh, ehm, OK," he trailed off. Emily hid her smile by taking a bite of her breakfast.

Emily quickly finished her breakfast as Mike entered.

"It'll be lunchtime if you two don't finish up soon," he joked. Ryan left a crust on his plate and got up, putting the leftovers in the bin and the plate in the sink. Emily helped clear the table but Mike sent them away to do their own thing, saying that he would do the washing up.

"Yeh've not got so many chores at the moment," Ryan said, "'Cos yer new. That'll all change."

"How long have you been here?" she asked as they went into the living room.

"Couple of months," he said vaguely.

"Can't seem to separate you two," Johnny commented, as Emily entered the living room centimetres away from Ryan.

"Shut up," Ryan snapped. "Jealous, are we?"

"Not that there's anything going on to be jealous of," Johnny remarked.

"So, you are jealous?" Ryan said raising an eyebrow and many of the kids went 'ooh'.

Ryan smirked and crossed the room, going out into the hallway. Emily shook her head at Johnny's embarrassment and made some excuse to leave the room.

"I've got, um, some stuff to do in my room," she mumbled, leaving the living room and going back to her room. She picked up a shirt from the pile of her mum's clothes and eyed the creases forming in the fabric.

"Hey, Emily," Jody said in an upbeat tone, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she replied and Jody came in. She was wearing navy skinny jeans with a blue short-sleeved collared shirt. Her hair was scraped back into a ponytail as always.

"Wow, what's all this?" Jody marvelled at the clothes. "Do you mind?" She reached out a hand to pick up one of the shirts. She took up a blue long-sleeved collared shirt that had little white spots on it. "Is this yours?"

"No, uh, my mum left a bunch of stuff behind when she left... so," Emily trailed off, swallowing once before continuing, "I took it."

"Guess she didn't need it anymore," Jody commented, unfazed by Emily's tragic home life.

"Guess not," Emily replied, smiling slightly. "Well, I should put it all away, feel like helping?"

"Yeah, OK," Jody agreed, grinning at her.

"So, we're the same age," Emily said as she went to the small wardrobe by the door. She opened it to find it empty, with several hangers on the rail. There was a full-length mirror on the inside of one of the doors - full-length if you backed up a bit to see your whole reflection, that is.

"Yeah, pretty cool," Jody answered, handing Emily the blue shirt, which Emily put on a hanger.

"What sort of stuff do you like, then?" Emily asked.

"Football," Jody said decidedly. "Hanging out with friends, team sports, watching TV... that's about it, really."

She handed Emily the green and blue shirt, a plain red one and a black and white striped one; Emily put each one on a hanger as she received them.

"Not into make-up, then?" Emily asked with a grin.

"No way," Jody scoffed. "That would be Carmen."

"Do you get on well with her?" She asked.

"Sometimes," Jody shrugged.

She handed Emily the jeans one by one, there was another blue pair and a black pair, along with a faded blue pair of Emily's. There were no trouser hangers so Emily folded them and put them and the bottom of her wardrobe. She had already put her underwear away in the chest of drawers the night before. Emily went back to the chair, picking up her school clothes and putting them in the bottom of the wardrobe. After hanging up the remaining t-shirt and what she'd pilfered from her mum's wardrobe - the dresses again being marvelled over - Jody looked around Emily's room.

"Not much character," she remarked.

"Sorry?" Emily asked, not sure what what she meant.

"The room, it's so bare and boring," Jody explained, "You should redecorate."

"Maybe," Emily laughed. "I'll be here at least three months, that's certain."

"OK," Jody said with a nod. "We'll sort something."

A moment of silence passed and a thought popped into Emily's head.

"What do you think of Ryan?" She blurted, before she could stop herself.

Jody looked at her.

"It's just that, I know I've only been here five minutes, but I just can't make him out," Emily elaborated. "Know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Jody said slowly, choosing her words. "Ryan's a laugh, y'know? He can be nice, but mostly he's mean and can be horrible sometimes. He's always in it for himself, always sneaking around." Jody paused. "He's been nice to you, hasn't he?"

Emily didn't answer. She looked away into the distance, a worried expression coming onto her face. Who was this boy Jody described? The Ryan that had been presented to Emily so far was kind, sensitive, protective... though he was also cold and calculating; she had caught him in if the act of having read the files of the kids there - even hers! How had she been so quick to brush that aside?

Emily knew she had been out of her depth and nervous about living there, but she had gone on to confide in Ryan - sure, she'd given some vague details to Jody and Tyler, but they weren't private, per say - but Ryan had told her stuff as well. Her trust issues shouldn't have allowed that. She had to be more careful.

* * *

 **Ooh, is Johnny jealous? Has Tee laid her suspicions aside? Will Emily be more careful and spend less time with Ryan?**

 **NEXT TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'... (** ** _might do this for every chapter!_** **)**

 **When a policeman sees her skipping school, what will happen to Emily? What will she ask Tee about? And what news does Mike have for her?**

 **Catch the next chapter next week...**


	9. 9: Skipping School

**Hello, friends! Your reviews are so kind, so thank you! Here's another long chapter, I did try to wrap it up but it just got long like last time ^.^**

 **I'll be uploading every Saturday from now on :)**

 **[Special mention to: Ginger Redwood, who reads and reviews consistently! (Also, her stories are really good)]**

 **Gonna do this from now on, guys!**

 **LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Tee has her doubts about Ryan, as Johnny shows an interest in Emily.  
Ryan gets an insight into Emily's past and Emily finds a new friend in Jody.**

 **(RIGHT, ENJOY!)**

* * *

Chapter 9: Skipping School

Ryan sulked as he dried the remaining dishes and put them away in the cupboard as May-Li had started to prepare the lunch. He had been called back downstairs, even though he had argued that Mike had told him and Emily they didn't have to do anything. Bailey had also been called to help, and the two of them had spent much of the drying of the dishes scowling at each other.

"See, now it's much easier to cook lunch without all those dishes on the rack," May-Li said with a smirk.

"It's not like they were in the wey," Ryan grumbled.

"Well, the dishwasher can be closed now," Carmen corrected him, going over and closing the door of the dishwasher. "There's more space to go from the cooker to the fridge."

Ryan gave her a sarcastic look, before chucking the dishcloth at her with a dark look. May-Li laughed and Carmen grinned at her, raising an eyebrow at Ryan's mood.

"Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Bailey commented.

"I'm surprised you even know how that metaphor works," Ryan said snidely. Bailey shot him a glare.

"All right," May-Li said, sensing tension between the two boys. "You two can go now, but tell the others that lunch is nearly ready. And I'll be needing help from Tee and Kaz, please!"

Bailey ignored her and went outside, leaving Ryan to go into the living room and talk to Tee and Kazima. He approached her and she looked up, taking on a cagey look. She was sitting next to Johnny on the sofa and Harry sat on the floor in front of him. Johnny smiled and Harry gave a grin.

"Hey, Ryan," Harry said happily, clutching his toy giraffe, Jeff.

"Hey, my man," Ryan said with a smile. He'd got on well with Harry since he had rescued him and Finn from their last foster home. Harry was one of the few kids there that Ryan actually bothered being nice to.

"Want to play hide and seek?" he asked hopefully.

"Did someone say hide and seek?" Finn asked, coming over from the round table where Tyler was attempting a magic trick. Tyler looked disappointed when he had lost his audience of one member.

"Well, May-Li said lunch will be ready soon," Ryan explained, "So, maybe later; yeah?"

"OK," Harry agreed, getting up and running out of the living room. "Come on Finn," he called behind him, and the brown-haired boy followed.

"Is there something you wanted?" Tee asked pointedly, earning a discouraging look from her brother.

"May-Li asked you to help with lunch," Ryan said, ignoring her comment. He glanced around and saw that Kaz had come in and Tyler had acquired an audience once more, "Ehm, yew, too, Kaz."

"OK," she said, moving away from the table and going into the kitchen. Tee reluctantly got up and left the room.

"Come on, Ryan!" Tyler complained, "You're getting rid of my audience."

"Yeh'll have to try harder than that, then, mate," Ryan advised with a smirk. He flopped leisurely onto the sofa next to his friend.

"What going on between you and Tee?" Johnny asked, and immediately Ryan thought of a situation that seemed most inappropriate to him. He brushed that thought away, a look of repulsion crossing his face. He repressed a shudder.

"What d'yeh mean?" he asked casually, "I guess she just doesn't like me."

Johnny paused before replying. "Look, don't tell her I told you this, but," he lowered his voice, and Ryan leaned closer to hear him, "She told Emily not to talk to you or something, said she warned him about you?"

Ryan scoffed, leaning back and turning his head away to hide his look of annoyance.

"What would she need to warn Emily about?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow, "About what I'm really like? She doesn't know anything about me."

"I guess she was annoyed when you told everyone something different about your past," Johnny considered, "But I did like the car theft story, myself."

Ryan smirked, an uneasy look clouding his expression. So what, he had told everyone lies when they had asked questions about his past? He'd had fun doing so – making up a grand different story each time. But it was none of their business. He wasn't going to tell the whole story to anyone, though he had revealed some details to Emily…

"Well, there must be other times Tee hasn't trusted kids here," Ryan muttered, "It's not like I'm the only one."

"True," Johnny said, taking on a jokey tone, "But, just so I know, there isn't anything I need to be worried about, is there?"

"No, mate, of course not," Ryan confirmed, his thoughts wondering to the Emily situation and he guess how Johnny felt about that.

Emily just happened to walk in at that moment, tailed by Jody. She stopped just inside the room and Jody went over to where Tyler was.

"Not working; is it?" she asked him, laughing as he struggled with the pack of cards. "I'm going to have a quick kick-about before lunch."

"I'm sure Bailey's outside," Tyler said rolling his eyes.

"Well, he's better at football than you," Jody brushed him off.

"Nice save," Johnny put in, grinning, "Geddit – save?"

"Very poor," Ryan teased, shaking his head, as Jody huffed and went out of the room.

"Hey, Emily," Johnny said, looking up, and seeing her, "All right?"

"Yeah, um, good, thanks," Emily stammered, stepping further into the room and clasping her hands behind her back. She came towards them.

"I think Mo wants to paint our robot later," Ryan piped up.

Our robot? Emily thought. "I thought you weren't interested," she replied, her brow furrowed.

"No, ehm, I'll still help," Ryan mumbled, "If you want."

Johnny looked from one to the other and sensed an unspoken conversation as silence passed between them.

"Do you like running, at all, Emily?" Johnny asked, changing the subject. "I've not been training today, thought you might like to come down the park later?"

"Oh, yeah, running," Emily said, raising an eyebrow, "Love that," she added, a hint of sarcasm slipping into her voice.

"You do?" Johnny said in surprise, not picking up on the subtle sarcasm she displayed. Ryan clearly did, however, as he hid a smirk.

"Yeah, haven't got much practice lately," she trailed off, her little charade becoming awkward now as she thought about the times she had 'practice', running away from... "Maybe another time," she excused herself.

"OK," Johnny said. "Um, want to sit down?" He gestured to the space between him and Ryan, who sat at either end of the sofa, and it didn't look like there was a great deal of space to sit between them. Emily hesitated as Ryan seemed uncomfortable all of a sudden. Johnny kept his easy-going expression as the two younger kids avoided each other's gaze.

"Lunch is ready!" May-Li called.

"Thank you!" Emily breathed, looking at the ceiling. "Guess not," she muttered, to Johnny, "It's lunchtime."

She went quickly through to the kitchen and Bailey and Jody were already there, along with Carmen, Kaz, Tee and Floss. As Emily sat down, Bailey stared at her.

"What's so different about you, then?" he asked coldly.

"Um… what?" Emily asked, confused.

"Ryan's a nasty piece of work, and yet he's sucking up to the new girl," Bailey went on. Carmen nodded as though she agreed, and Tee eyed Emily indifferently.

"Why, does he not act in a civil manner towards everyone?" she asked, turning on her formal speech she'd learnt from books, hoping to throw him off. Bailey looked confused.

"It's not like Ryan hates everyone," Jody added.

"Well, we don't all fancy him," Bailey snapped, which Jody responded to with a look of despair, which Emily carefully read into.

"Um, Jody doesn't fancy Ryan," Carmen put in.

"Now, I don't care who fancies who," said Mike, coming in. "Come on, lads!" He called to Ryan and Johnny, who trailed into the kitchen. Jody, who wasn't sitting down yet, bagged the seat next to Emily as Harry and Finn ran in, knocking past the older boys. Harry eagerly sat down next to Emily and Finn sat opposite her, next to Floss. Both Johnny and Ryan looked vaguely disappointed that the seats nearest the new girl were taken, so sat at the other end of the table by Carmen and Tee. The remaining kids sat down and lunch began.

May-Li, with the help of the girls, had prepared a Sunday lunch with a chicken, potatoes, gravy and vegetables. The meal ensued with no further talk of Ryan or Emily. Questions were posed to Johnny about when he would be leaving for the army and what preparations he had left. Tee was clearly supportive of her brother's decision, but seemed sad and Emily figured she would miss him when he finally went. They also talked about Carmen's party the day before and it turned out that she had another one to go in the summer holidays. A girl called Lily, who used to live at the Dumping Ground, was talked of; Emily had no idea who she was, and it was clear that neither Ryan nor Finn had been there before Lily had left.

When the meal was over, some of the kids were told to stay and help, whereas the rest of them were left to their own devices. Mo approached Emily after she left the table and she realised that it was the first time she had seen him that day.

"Want to help me paint our robot later?" he asked buoyantly.

"Told you," Ryan muttered in her ear as he passed her.

"Um, no thanks," Emily said haltingly, "I would still like to, but I've got some, uh… homework that needs finishing."

"You still have homework?" Harry asked in surprise, overhearing them, "there's only a week left 'til the summer holidays!"

"We're not all little kids like you," Carmen put in. "We still have stuff to do for school."

" Even if summer starts next week," Tyler added.

"Hey, you don't have to go to school tomorrow, if you don't want to," Mike said kindly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Why does she get to stay home?" Floss whined, "That's not fair!"

"Floss," May-Li chided.

"No, it's OK," Emily insisted, "I don't mind going. I just want things to get back to normal, I guess."

"All right," Mike agreed, "I can drop you off tomorrow."

"Thanks," Emily muttered.

"This is probably as normal as things are ever going to get," Bailey said coldly, going back out into the garden at Jody's request.

Emily spent the remainder of the afternoon in the living room, watching Tyler attempt his magic tricks and then watching TV with Johnny, Tee and Ryan. Only Johnny and Emily exchanged the odd bit of conversation for these two hours of TV viewing, whilst Tee and Ryan were silent. By the time they were called for dinner, things had got a bit awkward.

They just had sandwiches for tea and they were sent to get ready for bed, even if the older ones didn't have to go to bed straight away.

Emily went into her room and reached for her notebook which she had hidden under the bed. She realised that the rest of her notebooks were still in her rucksack, which lay on the floor by the chair. She went to it and kneeled down, unzipping it. The bag was a faded grey colour and was covered in grass stains and black smudges. The front pocket had a patch that was nearly threadbare, and the bottom of the bag looked ready to rip in half. Emily got out the pile of elastic-band-bound books and looked around for somewhere to conceal her life's memories and scribblings.

Under the bed? Too obvious, anyone could easily find that. Similarly, under her pillow was not an option. Between the matress and the bed? Again, that was where they always hid their diaries in novels. Emily looked in the cupboard but found no hiding place. She heaved the chest of drawers a few centimetres away from the wall and found she could push the chest of drawers back against the wall and there would still be a two inch gap between the back of the chest of drawers and the wall. Emily slid the thick exercise books into place and pushed the chest of drawers back into its original position. A little red in the face, she sat back on the floor and rooted through her school bag.

She found some old crisp and chocolate bar wrappers, some biros that didn't work anymore and her school books from Friday. Of course, she had forgotten the rest when she had gone back to her house yesterday. Maybe she wouldn't go to school tomorrow after all.

Forgetting to change into Tee's pyjamas, she left her room to seek out said girl. She knocked on Tee's bedroom door. After a pause she heard Tee ask, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Emily," she replied.

"Come in."

Emily turned the handle and opened the door. Tee was sitting on her bed, plaiting her blond hair. She had changed into her pyjamas; a dark pink t-shirt and white and pink spotty pyjama trousers.

"Um, Tee," she began, "I was wondering about what you told me the other day... about Ryan."

"Yeah?" Tee said, motioning for Emily to sit next to her on the bed. She did so.

"I know you wanted to warn me about him," Emily continued, sounding uncertain, "About how I can't trust him?"

"Well, you definitely can't," said Tee, "He tells everyone lies. He's manipulative, and he's so arrogant. All he does; it's to please himself."

"Sounds a bit like your average teenager, to me," Emily said, raising an eyebrow. She sort of regretted asking Tee about Ryan, now; she couldn't seem to get a non-biased opinion out of the girl. Tee was grounded in her beliefs about Ryan's character.

"You don't know what he's like," Tee insisted.

"Do you?" Emily asked doubtfully.

"I know what he's like towards me," she said.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be that nice to you," Emily conceded, deciding to agree with her. Tee was a nice girl, and Emily hoped they could be good friends, if they could get past the whole thing with Ryan.

"He's not that nice to anyone," Tee corrected her, "Except Harry and Johnny.

"Well, I'll be sure to be careful around him," Emily said, her attention wandering to Tee's artwork on her desk. "That's really good by the way," she said, pointing to the drawing she had seen the day before, "Is it of you and Johnny?"

"Oh, yeah," Tee replied with a smile, "Thanks." They smiled at each other as Emily noticed Ryan walking down the corridor. He paused when he saw Tee and Emily sat next to each other on her bed, smiling like they were the best of friends. Emily caught his eye and watched his expression turn from betrayal to annoyance. Tee swallowed when she noticed Ryan there, before he quickly continued down the corridor and disappeared from sight.

"Just ignore him," Emily advised, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to do the same. There was just something intriguing about the boy. "Well, goodnight, Tee," Emily said, leaving the room. "Thanks for the information, it was good to know."

"You're welcome," Tee returned, "'Night."

Ryan stormed down the corridor, a scowl on his face. Why he felt this way, he didn't know. He couldn't tell at this point. What was Emily doing talking to Tee like that? Sure, he reasoned, Emily could talk to anyone she liked, but he felt something was off with what Tee could be telling her. After all, she had warned Emily already about him, what else was she saying now?

"Don't go to bed too late, Ryan," said May-Li, as she passed with an armful of towels, "School tomorrow."

"Yeh," Ryan muttered as he went to his room to try and get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning Emily groggily pushed back the covers and dragged herself out of bed. She opened the curtains, wincing at the sunlight as it pierced her eyes. She saw the front garden from her room and Bailey was up coming back through the gates with Mischief on a lead. Emily shuddered and was glad that the dog was not allowed upstairs. She found her school clothes in her cupboard and glad she had got them from her house, she felt she was being annoying having to borrow any more clothes, reminding her that she had to return the jeans and t-shirt she had worn on Saturday. She did all the chores at home, and it felt really strange that she hadn't been asked to do anything to help at the Dumping Ground yet, as if she suddenly had so much free time on her hands, and didn't really know what to do with it.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, and Emily wasn't sure what time it was, but she asked who it was.

"It's May-Li," was the reply, and the door opened to reveal the care worker, who poked her head round the door. "Do you need to borrow a uniform?" she asked.

"No, I got it from my house," Emily explained, holding up her white school shirt.

"OK," said May-Li, "Well, come down for breakfast, it's nearly eight o'clock."

Emily nodded, and May-Li shut the door. Emily hurriedly pulled on her school shirt and found that her black skirt had a massive stain on the front of it. She identified it as the sandwich that had been thrown at her on Friday… at school. She huffed and threw the skirt down, pulling her other pair of blue jeans (May-Li had put her other ones in the wash the other day). They were a centimetre too short, the denim was faded and the knees almost threadbare. But they would have to do, it was only school; any pair of her mum's old jeans would probably get ruined in some way or another. But then again, she was used to it.

Emily tugged her hairbrush through her curls and straightened her collar, pulling her tie into place once she had put it on. She packed her school bag with; the exercise books she had with her, her pencil case and her most recent notebook that was almost full. She felt a little safer with it on her, even if the bullies could get at it. She put her iPod and earphones in the pocket of her jeans and felt under the bed for the bracelet she had found when looking for treasure with Mo. It was shiny; a thin chain with clear glass beads attached at intervals. Pocketing this also, she left the room.

Emily made her way downstairs, where the little kids were waiting, ready, in the hallway, to be taken to school.

"Hi, Harry," she said, and he gave her a grin. Leaving her bag by the stairs, Emily smiled and went into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

Tee, Johnny, Tyler, Ryan and Jody were in the kitchen, grabbing the last of their breakfast. Bailey came into the kitchen with Mischief's water bowl in his hand and filled it up before placing it on the floor and washing his hands. The kids quickly cleared up the breakfast things and May-Li was at the kitchen sink, piling up the dishes so they could be washed later.

"Oh, Emily," said Kaz, coming out of the laundry room, holding Emily's denim jacket. "It was the best I could do for now, I put some tape on the inside of the rip so it'll hold for today."

"Thanks, Kaz," Emily said gratefully, taking the loose jacket and carefully putting it on.

"Here," said Johnny, handing Emily a slice of buttered toast, "Eat up, Mike'll be leaving soon."

"OK," she said, munching on it. The kids were all wearing their school uniform, though there were two different school colours present. Ryan came up to her hesitantly. He was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, a red tie and black school trousers. His hair was neat and brushed back from his forehead.

"A'right?" he asked casually, and Emily didn't reply as her mouth was full of toast. She swallowed, finishing it.

"Come on, Emily," said Tee, before she had the chance to reply to Ryan. She took her arm and they went out into the hallway, where everyone was gathering. Emily didn't notice as the bracelet fell out of her pocket onto the carpet in the living room.

"Right," said Mike, "Time for school! Come on, you lot!"

They piled out of the door and the white minibus was waiting. The little kids ran to the bus and got on, followed by Tee and Carmen. Jody, Bailey and Tyler also got on and Emily followed them. Johnny had finished his GCSE exams so didn't have to go to school for the rest of the summer term.

"Don't want a lift, Ryan?" Mike asked, as Ryan looked about to start walking away.

"Wha', and show up to school in that thing," Ryan snapped, "No thanks, it's only ten minutes away."

"I'll walk with you, Ryan," Mo said, running out of the house with his glasses askew.

"I'm walking, too," said Kaz.

"All right," Mike agreed, and got into the driver's seat. "Is that everybody?"

Emily watched as Ryan looked up at the passing minibus with a scowl. He had put on his black denim jacket and shouldered his rucksack as he walked along, black all-stars on his feet.

Mike dropped off Harry, Finn, Floss Tee and Carmen at the nearest school; and Tyler, Bailey and Jody were dropped off at the next one. The furthest school was Emily's and she was the last one in the minibus, which felt big and empty with the rest of the kids gone. The bus drew up a few metres from the school gates, and Emily reluctantly got off.

"Sure you want to go to school?" Mike asked, "You don't have to."

"No, it's OK," Emily insisted, "Only a week left!"

She waved as the minibus pulled away and she slowly turned to face the roughest school in the area. There was a group of girls outside the gate, heavily made up and a couple of them were smoking. Some of the group were in her year, but there were some in the upper years that made it their mission to make school torture for certain pupils – Emily being one of them. They noticed her and smirked. Emily felt unprotected in her ripped denim jacket, scuffed shoes and old jeans. As they came towards her, Emily saw two options in front of her.

Go to school and get beaten up. Or… she could skip school altogether. In the few seconds she stood there and the girls got closer, Emily made a snap decision. If she ran now, she could cross the road and cut through the little park near her estate. She watched the oncoming traffic out of the corner of her eye as she back towards the road.

"Hey, guys," she said weakly as the group of girls, who were much bigger than her, came closer. She took a step and felt her foot reach down for the road.

"Anderson," one of the girls said, "We'd been waiting for you."

"Well, that's lovely and all," Emily rambled, turning as she saw a bus coming down the main road. "But, I'll have to see you all later."

She spun round and sprinted across the road as the bus came dreadfully close. She took a running jump and landed on the pavement on the other side of the road. The girls went to follow, but were stopped by the bus passing in front of them. After said bus, there was an onslaught of on-coming traffic, destroying any opportunity for them to follow her across the road. She waved teasingly at them, a grin on her face. The girls looked on with scorn.

Emily turned and jumped the fence to the park opposite the school. She jogged past the trees and came to a stop on the other side of the park. She leaned on the gate to catch her breath and noticed that in her haste to cross the road she had managed to split the sole of her right shoe – the rubber had parted from the canvas and she caught a glimpse of her grey sock. She sighed, shouldering her bag and kept walking.

She wandered around the town centre and quenched her thirst with the bottle of water she had been handed before she left the care home. She sat on a bench and ate her lunch, staring at the passing people. A few hours passed and no one noticed the tired, thin girl sitting on the bench by the water fountain. All of her food gone, and no money, Emily went to the fountain and sat on the stone rim, dangling her fingers in the water. A few coins glistened in the depths and a vague thought to take them came to the surface of Emily's consciousness. A tear slid down her cheek.

"Excuse me, miss," said a stern voice, "Are you all right?"

She looked up to see the tall police officer that had been at her house the other day. She gasped, looking about to run, but he laid a hand on her arm.

"Now, we'll have none of that," he said, "I'm only trying to help. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Um…" Emily could think of nothing to say.

"Can I call your parents to tell them where you are?" he asked.

Emily suddenly burst into tears. "I don't know where they are."

"Hey, it's all right," he said, patting her shoulder. "Do I recognise you?"

"No," she mumbled.

"Well, I'm going to have to take you to the police station so we can call your parents," he said, "Or call… somebody."

Emily allowed him to lead her through town, feeling the scrutiny from onlookers. She hadn't done anything wrong! She wanted to yell, but she hung her head as she walked ahead of the police officer. They came to the police office and the policeman sat her down in one of the back rooms.

"Now, who can we call?"

"Ashdene Ridge Care Home," Emily reluctantly told him, "Mike Milligan, he's my care worker."

"Right," he said, going away to make the call. After a few minutes on the phone, he returned. "Mr Milligan said it's all right if I take you home."

"OK," Emily said, having lost track of the length of time she had spent in town.

Climbing into the police car, she was driven back to Ashdene Ridge. The car pulled up outside and the minibus was already back, the kids piling out and running back into the house. Emily was met by Mike at the door and led into the quiet room adjoining the office. He exchanged a few words with the policeman before the tall, serious man left. He opened the door to the quiet room and motioned for Emily to come into the office.

"Are you angry?" she asked before he said anything.

"No, I'm not angry," he admitted, "I was just worried, and a bit disappointed that you lied to me about going to school."

"I'm sorry," she said, hanging her head.

Tee and Carmen arrived back, having leisurely walked back from school. May-Li met them as they came through the front garden.

"What's going on?" Carmen demanded.

"Yeah, why's the police car outside?" Tee asked, concerned.

Bailey kicked his football in Jody's direction and smirked.

"What's the new girl done now?" he asked loudly.

"Not now, guys," May-Li said as Ryan came through the front gate. He eyed the police car warily and slipped past the other kids into the house.

* * *

"Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you," Mike told Emily as she stood in front of him in the office. She looked up with interest. "I've been talking to social services, and using details from your school records, they've managed to locate your mother."

"What?" Emily asked in disbelief. Suddenly the six years that had passed disappeared and Emily felt like the seven year old whose mother had packed up and left. "My…" she felt faint.

"My mother?" she repeated.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **What do the kids of the Dumping Ground think of Emily being brought back by the police? How will Emily react to the news about her mother? And who is returning to Ashdene Ridge?**


	10. 10: Mum's The Word

**Thank you for 20 reviews on this story! *all the squeals and virtual hugs***

 **To celebrate... here's a MID-WEEK UPLOAD! Oh yeah, that's right, guys - I couldn't wait til Saturday to upload this chapter!  
(Also, thank you to the guest who reviewed on the last chapter asking for more frequent uploads, I'll try to upload twice a week)  
Every spare minute I seem to be writing, planning or thinking about this fic!  
** **I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it and coming back each week; I'm now sticking to my new 4,000+ words per chapter target :)**

 **P.S. I've contacted the administrator to get the character list updated, so hopefully Ryan and the rest will be on there soon so I can add him as a main character!**

 **Enjoy xx**

* * *

 **LAST TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **Johnny shows interest in Emily, bringing back memories of her past.  
** **Emily skips school and is brought back to the Dumping Ground in a police car.  
Mike tells Emily that social services have located and contacted her mother.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Mum's the Word

The kids of the Dumping Ground had come home from school on that hot summer's day to a police car drawing up outside the care home. A tall policeman had got out and opened the door to reveal an ashamed Emily who quickly went into the house. There was a bit of a commotion as the kids bombarded Mike and May-Li with questions as Mike ushered Emily into the office and said a few words to the policeman.

"What's going on, then?" Ryan muttered, voicing what everyone else was thinking.

Tee ushered everyone into the living room and closed the doors. Mo blinked behind his big glasses, concerned for Emily, and sat down on the sofa next to Harry and Finn. Floss stood next to them with her arms crossed and Ryan perched on the arm of the sofa. Jody, Tyler, Carmen and Kaz had taken a seat at the round table and Bailey and Johnny, who had returned from training in the park, leaned against the pool table. They all stood, or sat, there in their school uniform and looked at each other.

"Why is the policeman here?" Jody asked, breaking the brief silence.

"Yeah, has Emily been arrested?" Tyler asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Looks that wey," Ryan put in.

"Guess she's worse than we thought," said Bailey, looking unimpressed.

"Hey, don't be so hard on her;" said Johnny, "We don't know what's happened."

"Yeah, we don't," Carmen snapped, "What if she's dangerous?" She looked genuinely a little bit scared.

"What do you think she'll do to us?" Harry said sarcastically.

"You don't know her," Finn piped up.

"Yeah, she's just a kid," said Floss.

"Yeah, it's not like the police haven't been around this place before," Tee reasoned.

"That is true," said Kaz.

"Well, what's she done then?" Jody asked, folding her arms, "We don't know anything about her. Well, you guys don't."

"Oh, has she told you something?" Carmen said, frowning, "What makes you so special?"

Jody looked hurt.

"Carmen, shut up, yeah," said Bailey, shooting her a glare.

"I suppose you two are best friends now," Carmen went on, in a baby-voice.

"Well, maybe you should try being nice to her," Ryan snapped.

"What do you know about being nice?" Tee responded, folding her arms.

"Woah, tone it down with the teenage angst," May-Li said, entering the room from the kitchen. She held both hands up, then folded her arms as all of the kids looked at her. "Having a nice gossip session are we?" she said in a dangerous tone. "Emily's having a hard enough time right now, without you lot talking about her behind her back." She crossed the room and opened the door. "I'm not very impressed," she said, as the phone rang. She left the room to see if Mike wanted her to answer it, as he was still talking to Emily.

"That wasn't very kind, Tee," said Mo, "Ryan is nice."

"I'd like to think so," Ryan said, smirking.

"He's got you fooled," Bailey accused. Mo looked hurt and went out into the garden. Johnny swallowed.

"Yeah, Ryan's my mate," said Harry, as the kids started to disperse to do their own thing or finish their homework.

"Sure am, Harry," he said, clapping the blond boy on the shoulder and getting up. He was face to face with Tee.

"Oi, shut up, you're only nice to Harry," Bailey said with a frown as he left the room.

"I thought we were talking about Emily," Tee said defensively.

"Exactly," Ryan said, with a smug look, as if he knew something she didn't. This unnerved her.

"Let's just not talk about it anymore, shall we?" Johnny said, leaving the room after Bailey, followed by Jody and Tyler, to go outside to play football.

"Your brother's right, Tee," Ryan said seriously, then raising an eyebrow at her. "But... you like to gossip, don't you?"

Tee swallowed when she remembered how Ryan had heard her conversation about him with Johnny. He sauntered past her and picked up a pool cue. Floss scrambled for the TV remote.

"I get to choose what we watch!" she cried in victory, as Harry and Finn sighed in unison.

"You always get to pick," Finn complained.

Tee glanced around the room and looked at Carmen, who still looked annoyed about Emily. She sat down next to her.

* * *

A few minutes earlier…

"What… how?" Emily had stammered after hearing the news. "I don't understand."

"Well, seeing as your father is not available to look after you at the moment, I asked social services to see if you had any other family," Mike explained gently.

"But, she left!" Emily exclaimed, "Why would I want to live with her?"

"I'm not saying you have to go live with your mother if you don't want to, for the moment," he said.

"I don't ever want to live with her!" Emily retorted, a little shrilly. "You don't know what she's like!"

"I know, but she wanted to meet you," he said, wincing at the bad choice of words. He raised a hand but Emily ignored him.

"Meet me?" Emily returned with vigour. She sneered. "Like I'm some stranger or someone she met on the internet?" She turned and sat heavily on the sofa, placing her head in her hands. "Six years, six years, Mike," she emphasised.

"Emily, I'm sorry," he said, sinking into his own chair behind his desk, "I didn't know. If you'd tell me more about yourself-"

"So you can write it in my file?" Emily said wryly, gaining a little interest in exactly what Mike had told her just now. She leaned forward.

"Oh, about the police," Mike said, taking off his glasses, "We've agreed not to get social services involved, just this once, seeing as you weren't actually arrested for a crime."

"Oh... good," Emily mumbled in response, secretly glad she wasn't in too much trouble.

"But you won't be skipping school again, do you understand?" Mike said sternly. "If you didn't want to go, you could have just told me. You were already excused."

"Yes, Mike," said Emily, hanging her head. She then looked up at him again, remembering. "So, about my mum-" she began.

The phone rang, and Mike sighed.

"You don't have to get that," Emily tried to persuade him. They were in the middle of a conversation for goodness' sake! Emily needed to know about her mother, she had six years of information to catch up on.

"I'm really sorry," said Mike, looking apologetic. "But it could be important."

"But, this is important!" Emily said haltingly, but Mike picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hello, this is Ashdene Ridge," he said.

May-Li came to the door when she had heard the phone from the hallway and looked questioningly at Mike. He listened for a few moments whilst motioning for her to enter the office. She opened the door and poked her head around.

"Yes, hold on a minute, please," he said into the phone. He looked to May-Li. "It's the twins' social worker. They're not happy with their new foster placement."

May-Li glanced at Emily.

"Emily, would you mind stepping out of the office for a moment?" Mike asked tentatively.

"But-" she began.

"Now, please, Emily," May-Li interjected, "Come on." She gestured for Emily to get up. And Emily did so, standing up with her fists clenched and stalked out of the room.

How could Mike spring such massive news on her – again – and not answer her questions concerning it? The office door closed behind her and Mike continued to talk on the phone while May-Li listened into the conversation. She reluctantly went into the living room but found that the room was mostly empty. She smiled at Tee, and attempted to smile at Carmen, though it wasn't returned. She hovered for a moment as none of them said anything.

"Would you like to sit down?" Kaz offered, and Emily sat down next to her.

"So, what have you done?" Carmen asked, sounding uninterested.

"I didn't get arrested if that's what you're thinking," Emily defended herself.

Ryan looked over with interest and leaned on the pool cue. Carmen looked surprised.

"What's with the policeman, then?" she asked.

"I skipped school," Emily explained, not really caring that they knew. It would stop them from thinking any worse of her, anyhow. "And… the policeman found me, and took me to the police station so he could call my parents."

"But you do not live at home anymore," said Kaz.

"Yeah, what did you tell them?" Tee asked.

"I gave them the name of this place," Emily muttered, "It was my only option."

"True," Kaz considered. "Didn't he ask you anything else?"

"Nope," said Emily shaking her head and letting her hair fall in front of her face. She guessed her face was pale and her eyes were still red from crying earlier. She glanced down at her shoe which was still broken and was glad she had pilfered those boots from her mum's cupboard the other day.

"Well," said Carmen, changing the subject, "It's nearly the summer holidays and I really need a manicure." She stood up. "Coming, Tee, Kaz?"

"Are you joking?" Kaz asked with a straight face, getting up. "I have chores to finish." She left for the kitchen.

Carmen started across the room but stopped when Tee didn't follow. Tee looked meaningfully at Emily and then back at Carmen. Ryan smirked and leaned forward to adjust him aim on the white ball.

"Oh, um," Carmen said reluctantly, "Want to join in, Emily? I could paint your nails... blue, to match your… eyes." She grimaced, almost face-palming at what she had just said.

"Uh, no thanks," said Emily, who didn't even have blue eyes, "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself." She stood up. "You should go for pink, to match your personality." She gave a smirk.

Carmen gave a simpering look, not sure whether Emily had complimented her or not. Tee pulled on her friend's arm and they left the room. Emily stuffed her hands in her pockets. She glanced at Ryan who seemed absorbed in his solitary pool game.

"You skipped school," Harry piped up, turning round to look at her from where he was sitting on the sofa. "Pretty badass."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Emily mumbled, "I guess…"

Floss laughed. "Is your school even more boring than ours?" she asked. Emily wondered if Floss ever said anything without shouting it.

"Um, yeah, proper boring," Emily stammered, then turning and starting to walk towards the kitchen.

"Hey, good one," Ryan muttered from the pool table, as he potted a red ball.

"What?" Emily asked, confused.

"That one-liner to Carmen just now," he explained, raising an eyebrow appreciatively.

"Oh, yeah, stroke of genius," Emily drawled modestly, wondering what Ryan was trying to do, "I kind of based it on her "compliment", though." She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

"Well, using something of theirs against them," Ryan reasoned, "It's what all the best do."

"Right," Emily said, raising her eyebrow at this apparent compliment or even commendation from Ryan, assuming that he used this principle himself in his mischief, "Well, I'll go see if May-Li has any chores for me."

"She's talking to Mike right now," he protested, "They probably don't even have any chores for yew." He seemed to remember something. "What were yeh talking to Mike about?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Emily said logically, leaving Ryan in the living room. Sure, all of the kids were nosy and asked questions, but there was something about Ryan's random change of conversation that threw her off. She guessed this was the idea, so he could find out more about her without directly quizzing her. There was something very clever about it, though. And there was something else about him...

Tyler had run back into the kitchen for a packet of crisps.

"What's the rush?" Kaz asked, amused. She was setting the table for dinner.

"I don't want to miss Jody trashing Bailey at his own sport," he explained, quickly going back outside.

"I think I want to see this," Emily said, following him.

The sun was shining and the grass was a bright green as Bailey and Jody ran around in their school uniform, chasing after the football. Mo was watering the vegetables in the patch at the bottom of the garden. Emily went towards the lawn, catching up to Tyler who paused as he munched on his crisps. Jody dodged the taller boy who deftly gained on her for possession of the ball.

"Is it bad that I don't know who to cheer for?" Tyler asked.

"Shall I make it easier for you?" Emily laughed, curving her hands around her mouth and yelling, "Come on, Jody!"

"Hey, Emily," Jody said when she heard her voice, though she kept her eyes focused on the ball as she neared the goal posts.

"Hey, Bailey," Tyler jeered, "Gonna let a girl beat you?"

"Yeah, thrash him, Jody!" Emily added. Jody grinned as she thought about how she would score.

"Hey, that's not fair," Bailey said angrily in his East London accent, "Tryin' the distract me."

He glanced up at them for a moment, and Jody took this opportunity to guide the ball to the side and kick it into the goal. She let out a whoop and ran around in circles with her arms in the air. Tyler raised his hand for a high five which Emily returned with a grin. Bailey scowled, though he didn't look completely angry that Jody had scored against him. He ran to her and clap her on the shoulder in a friendly fashion.

"Hey, I let you score, all right," he said, folding his arms as Jody looked mildly at him. "Don't expect to score so easy next time, though."

"Sure, football freak," Jody returned, "But I win for now!" She jumped in the air before running up the garden to where Emily and Tyler stood. She held her hand out for a crisp and Tyler offered the packet to her. As she took a crisp, she looked at Emily curiously.

"I didn't get arrested, OK?" Emily said with a sigh.

"How did you know I was going to say that?" Jody asked, frowning.

"Lucky guess," Emily shrugged it off. "I was skipping school; the policeman found me and brought me ho- here," she corrected herself. Ashdene Ridge was not her _home_. "He brought me... back here." She smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, right," said Jody. "You didn't do anything wrong, then?"

"She did skip school," Tyler put in.

"And there was us lot thinkin' you were a criminal," said Bailey, pushing past them to go back into the house. Emily couldn't tell whether he sounded disappointed or pleased that Emily didn't have a criminal record.

"Well, I'm gonna get out of my uniform," said Jody, turning to go back into the house.

Bailey ran out, Mischief's lead in his hand. He knocked Emily's shoulder as he passed, sending her off balance. She took a step forward but tripped over her laces. She smacked into the ground, ripping the knee of her jeans and jolting her shoulder. She winced.

"Hey, Bailey!" Tyler protested as Bailey ran out of sight, followed by the black and white dog.

"Are you all right?" Jody asked, offering Emily a hand. She gladly took it, letting Jody pull her to her feet. She brushed down her jeans, and jacket, though her shoulder twinged and her knee felt sore.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Emily, "must have tripped on my own shoe lace." She rolled her eyes for effect, stooping to tuck the stray lace into the side of her shoe.

The three of them went into the house and Emily went back into the living room and sat on the sofa next to Finn. Harry had moved to sit on the beanbag next to Floss when Emily came over. She shrugged off her denim jacket and put it over the arm of the sofa. They were watching a show on CBBC that Emily didn't recognise. Harry looked at Emily's shoe in surprise.

"Your shoe's broken," he declared, pointing at it. In his other hand he clutched his toy giraffe. "Jeff noticed," he explained.

"Well, Jeff is a very clever giraffe," said Emily, untying her laces.

"I taught him everything he knows," said Harry in a matter of fact tone.

Emily pulled off her shoes with a slight smile and wiggled the toes of one foot through a hole in her grey sock. Floss giggled as she watched.

"You need some new socks," said Finn, eyes wide with surprise.

"Maybe I'll ask Santa," Emily laughed.

"But then you'll have to wait..." Finn counted on his fingers, "Five months!"

"I'm sure if you ask Mike or May-Li, they'll get you some new ones," Harry advised.

"Sure will," Emily replied, smiling at the fact that she had made friends with the little kids.

"You might want some new jeans, too," Floss suggested.

Emily glanced at the new rip in her old jeans.

"You kidding?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning, "They're selling ripped jeans in the shops, you know."

"They'll call anything fashion," Floss said exasperatedly, and Finn and Harry laughed.

Carmen came down the stairs and into the living room. She glanced around before going to the bookshelf and picking up a fashion and beauty magazine.

"Finished already?" Emily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, actually," Carmen snapped, "I've done Tee's base coat but I needed this mag for the design."

"OK," Emily said, raising both hands, not scared of the older girl.

Carmen made to leave the room but stopped, noticing something on the floor. Emily looked down and saw the bracelet she had found was lying on the carpet by the sofa, peeking out from Emily's tossed shoe. Carmen stalked over and picked it up.

"Right, who stole this?" Carmen demanded, holding up the bracelet.

"Stole what?" Tee asked, having come back downstairs to see what was taking Carmen so long.

"This," said Carmen, spinning round to show her friend. Her head snapped towards Emily. "It was you, wasn't it," she glared at her.

May-Li and Mike were still talking in the office as the misunderstanding continued.

"I never," Emily retorted, folding her arms.

"I bet it was, though," Carmen went on, "You could've been lying about the police."

"I was not," said Emily standing up to face her opponent, hoping it wouldn't end in a fight and another black eye this time.

"Carmen," Tee reprimanded her, stepping closer to the two angry girls.

"Well, who knows what else she's done?" she said, a bit shrilly.

The room was silent. Harry had even muted the TV.

Emily felt all eyes flitting from her to Carmen and back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan watching the two of them, leaning on his pool cue. He wore an expression of apprehension, perhaps for her side, though he quickly hid it with a smirk.

"Not again," yelled Floss, running into the kitchen.

"I can't believe you," Carmen said, shaking her head. She looked at the bracelet. "And it's broken." She huffed.

"How was I supposed to know it was yours?" Emily said coldly.

The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. The other kids flooded into the living room but stopped short when they saw Emily and Carmen.

"So you did steal it?" she accused.

"I _found_ it," Emily emphasised.

"Yeah, right," Carmen replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "In my room, you mean."

"You're ridiculous," Emily scoffed, and Carmen looked as though she would go for her.

"No, Emily found it in the bins!" Mo piped up, pushing past Tyler and Johnny who stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He had dirt on his school trousers and still had the watering can in his hand.

"Well, trust your boyfriend to stick up for you," she said, sneering at Emily.

"Mo is not my boyfriend," Emily said, jaw clenched. "I wouldn't date someone I class as a brother."

"Ooh," said some of the kids, remembering when Carmen had dated Rick, a boy who had used to live at The Dumping Ground. Carmen scowled.

"I can back Emily up," Mo declared, coming to stand by her side. Emily gave a grim nod.

"I can vouch for Emily, too," Ryan spoke up, winding through the little crowd to stand on Emily's other side.

"But you weren't-" Mo began, but Ryan reached a hand behind Emily to touch Mo's shoulder.

"I was there when she found it," Ryan said smoothly.

"Well, looks like that's sorted," said Tee, "Come on Carmen, you need to finish my nails."

"No, I want to know what really happened," Carmen insisted. "If you three are telling the truth, how did the bracelet get in the bin?"

"How should they know?" Bailey put in. Emily wondered whether he was sticking up for her. "Mo's got nothing to do with it," he added. No, he was just sticking up for Mo.

"Just leave it, guys," Johnny advised, and Tee gave Carmen's arm a tug before they left the room.

"Well, that was boring," Floss declared, flopping back onto the sofa where Emily had been sitting. "Harry, give me that." She snatched the remote off him, much to the protests of Harry and Finn.

Emily impulsively hugged Mo, and he squeezed back. He grinned at her.

"Thanks, Mo," she said.

"No problem," he replied, "It's always best to tell the truth. And I know you wouldn't have done it anyway."

"Well, that was an anti-climax," Ryan muttered, raising an eyebrow. Emily turned to him, looking awkward.

"Um, thanks," she said, not knowing whether to go for a hug, or a high-five, or what.

"That's fine," he muttered, glancing away awkwardly, then back to her face.

Chickening out, Emily offered him her hand. He shook it with a firm grip, and Emily noticed just how bony his fingers were, though his hand was still bigger than hers. They both hesitated, seemingly reluctant to let go. Mo eyed the both of them. After what seemed like an hour, Ryan let her hand go. He glanced at the office across the hall.

"Are they still talking?" he said irritably.

"Yeah, I'm really hungry," said Mo, his hand going to his stomach.

Just then the office door opened and Mike and May-Li came into the living room. Jody bounded down the stairs in a dark blue t-shirt and jeans. She had re-tied her hair in her signature ponytail and came in behind the two care workers.

"House meeting!" Mike yelled on his entrance.

"What for?" Ryan muttered.

"Can we get everyone in here, please?" May-Li called, and Jody ran out of the room to fetch the kids from the garden.

"Where's Carmen and Tee?" Mike asked.

"Um, upstairs," Emily filled in, and he went out into the hallway to call them.

When everyone had gathered, they looked at Mike expectantly.

"You literally could have just come in here five minutes ago," said Johnny.

"Why?" May-Li asked, going to stand next to Mike.

Emily shot Johnny a look, and he just shrugged at Mike.

"Right," said Mike. "A lot's been going on the past few days."

Please don't talk about me, please don't talk about me, Emily pleaded silently.

"But we'll be having some familiar faces returning to Ashdene Ridge," Mike explained.

"Is Lily coming to visit?" Carmen demanded.

"No, the twins will be returning to us," said May-Li.

"Billie and Toni?" Tee asked.

"Why?" Mo asked curiously, in that innocent tone of his.

"Their foster placement didn't work out," Mike said shortly, "And that's all that needs to be said about it."

"OK, well, can we go now?" Bailey asked impatiently.

"Yeah, when's dinner?" Harry asked.

May-Li laughed. "It's only five o'clock! Come and help me get it ready, then."

The little kids got up and followed her into the kitchen. Emily made to go back outside, but Mike stopped her as Bailey, Jody and Johnny went back out into the garden.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Well, Emily, you're going to need to move rooms," Mike said hesitantly.

"I don't need to share, do I?" she asked reluctantly.

"No, but you'll be moving to the box room," he explained, "The twins had been in your current room when they were here before, and the smaller room isn't big enough for two beds."

"Oh, OK," Emily said, wondering if the box room would still be bigger than her room back home.

"Good," said Mike, relieved that things had gone smoothly. The other kids had dispersed, but Ryan was still in earshot. Mike lowered his voice, "About your mum, wanting to arrange a meeting?"

"Um, yeah, sure, whatever," Emily rambled, looking at the floor.

"Are you sure?" Mike asked.

Emily looked at him and faked a smile. "I'm sure," she said, sounding decided, "It has been six years, after all, and I should give her a chance."

"Great," said Mike, smiling. "I'll see if I can arrange a meeting before the end of the week."

"OK," said Emily, as Mike put on his glasses and headed back to the office. She turned and saw Ryan staring at her. He tried to look away but wasn't quick enough. "Getting rusty," she teased. "I know you were listening."

"I thought yer mum left," he said in a lowered tone.

"Yeah, but she wants to see me," she said, shrugging. Ryan came up to her. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure her out.

"What are yew going to say to her?" he asked, "I didn't think yeh'd want to see her."

"Well, she'll most likely be apologetic and then ask to take me shopping," Emily muttered.

"Bet if she comes for a chat during the week, yew'll be out shopping with her on Saturday," Ryan said with a smirk.

"I won't forgive her," Emily said stoutly.

"Yeh don't have to forgive her to get stuff off her," he pointed out.

"True..." Was Emily's selfishness kicking in?

"Bet you I'm right, now," he said.

"Is that a bet?" Emily asked playfully, vaguely wondering if Ryan was actually flirting with her.

"Sure is," he replied swiftly. "If I'm right, yew do my chores for a week."

"And if I win," Emily said, raising an eyebrow, "You can do mine."

"Deal," he said, offering her his hand to shake, masking his awkwardness. Emily took his hand and shook it for the second time that hour.

"Deal," she said. How things had changed.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME'..._**

 **Emily is nervous about meeting her mum, bringing old memories to the surface. Ryan admits something about himself. And who's turned up - the last person Emily wanted to see?**

 **Catch the next chapter on Saturday! xx**


	11. 11: The Last Person She Wanted to See

**(All rights to any featured songs belong to the artist(s).)**

 **Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews!**

 **Today's special mention goes to _Love TDG,_ thank you for reviewing consistently since you started reading! ^.^**

 **-LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **The kids of The Dumping Ground discuss Emily.  
Carmen discovers Emily found her bracelet and accuses her of stealing it.  
Overhearing about Emily's mother, Ryan makes a deal with the new girl.**

 _ **Enjoy, guys! xx**_

* * *

Chapter 11: The Last Person She Wanted to See

May-Li called everyone for dinner and Ryan and Emily trailed into the kitchen after the rest of the kids. Sitting down to a meal of fish and chips, Emily picked at her portion, nibbling at the odd chip. She couldn't stop thinking about her mum.

 _"Mummy!" the little seven year old girl yelled, running towards her, as her mother came through the front door._

 _"Not now, darling," her mother brushed her off, fixing her blond hair in the mirror before shrugging off her fur coat._

 _"You're back late," Emily's father said coldly, coming into the hallway and standing there with his arms crossed. His curly dark hair was dishevelled, after looking after his excitable little girl for three hours longer than he should have. He had just got her to put her pyjamas on when his wife, who should have been there to do that, came home._

 _"Work was absolute torture, darling," the blond woman excused herself in a melodramatic way._

 _"Mummy, Mrs Walsh wants to put my work on display!" Emily said excitedly, "She says I have a talent for_ writing _!" She looked very pleased with herself, her own dark curls falling into her face._

 _"Yes, Emily," said her father quietly, taking her arm gently, "Go on up to bed now, you can tell Mummy all about it when she comes to tuck you in." His voice jarred on the word 'Mummy', but Emily didn't notice. She bounded up the stairs in her green and white pyjamas and disappeared out of sight._

 _"Where were you?" her father asked, and Emily sat at the top of the stairs, hidden away around the corner, listening to her parents._

 _"I told you, I was at work," the blond woman shrugged._

 _"You really think I'll buy that?" he asked incredulously. "Want to hear what I think you've been doing?"_

 _"Don't be ridiculous," said his wife, taking off her high-heeled shoes and tugging her pencil skirt down._

 _"I can't believe you," he almost yelled._

 _"What do you think you're accusing me of?" Emily's mother's voice rose a few octaves and Emily shivered as she heard her parents arguing._

 _"I should've listened to my mates about you, Deliah," he said dangerously, "I just didn't want to believe it was true."_

 _"What?" she snapped._

 _"It's been nearly eight years," he said coldly, "And we have a daughter, what more could you possibly want?"_

Emily pushed the memory far from her mind and laid down her fork with a pained expression. Ryan was sitting on the other side of the table a few seats down and noticed her face, though the rest of the kids carried on talking and eating. Emily avoided all eyes and bit her lip as if about to cry.

Ryan turned slightly to see May-Li behind him. He raised slightly his hand to touch her arm, jerking his head towards Emily. May-Li followed his gaze and nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"Thanks, Ryan," she whispered. She went around the table and stood behind Emily, bending closer to the miserable girl. "Emily, want to leave the table?"

Emily nodded once and May-Li laid a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to stand up. She led Emily away from the table and the other kids started to notice.

"Are you OK, Emily?" Mo asked, with concern.

"Yeah, is she all right?" Bailey asked, suddenly seeming to care.

"Emily's just not feeling so well," May-Li filled in swiftly, exchanging a glance with Mike as she followed Emily out of the room.

"What's up with her?" Carmen questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Emily's just having a tough time right now," said Mike, beginning to clear the table.

"…Still?" Johnny asked, feeling sad on Emily's behalf.

"A lot of things have changed for her in the past couple of days," Mike said, trying to give away as little detail as possible.

"Yeah, but-" Tee began.

"Emily will tell you in her own time," Mike said, ending the conversation.

The kids went to do their chores or do their own thing as the table was cleared. Ryan lingered by the notice board at one wall, surveying the chores rota. Emily had recently been pencilled in on every other week day to do washing up, and on the other days, to help with the washing. Ryan counted his own chores and smirked when he thought of all the free time he'd have when he won the bet – _if_ he won the bet. Emily was stubborn, but he still wanted to win.

Emily went and sat in her room and May-Li came in after her, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"Do you want me to bring you up anything later?" she asked, "You didn't eat much at dinner."

"No thanks," Emily mumbled.

"Hey," May-Li said with a smile, "You should try to eat more, so you get used to it." Evidently Emily hadn't had much food at home.

"I know," Emily muttered, "I'm just not used to there being so much food, it's weird, I know."

May-Li didn't press her for any more information, but Emily felt safe to give a little bit away.

"Dad spent a lot of his money on… booze," Emily said, not meeting May-Li's eyes, "So I had to make do with the cash left over, which wasn't a lot, for food and that."

"Hey, you shouldn't have had to 'make do'," May-Li said, frowning, "You could have always asked for help."

"Yeah, well, I didn't," Emily snapped, "Someone else did, and now look what happened." She sighed. "Sorry," she stammered, "You're being nice, and I'm acting like a child."

"Well, you are a child," she reasoned, "And it sounds like you had to be the grown up at home. How long has it been this way?"

"Ever since Mum left," Emily said, shrugging, "Well, not straight away… Dad only started drinking heavily when I was… eight or nine? Mum left when I was seven."

"OK," said May-Li. "But you can come to us for help," she added, putting an arm around the dark-haired girl, and giving her a friendly squeeze. "Even when you might leave, you're we'll still be here for you, me and Mike."

"Thanks, May-Li," Emily said, with a small smile.

"Well, why not have a nice bath in a couple of hours?" May-Li suggested. "I've got some relaxing bath salts I keep for emergencies."

"That sounds nice," said Emily.

May-Li left the room and went downstairs to the office to make a note of what Emily had told her, planning to discuss it with Mike later.

So, at eight o'clock the bathroom was free for half an hour, May-Li informed her. Emily made her way to the main bathroom after changing into the blue dressing gown. A small jar of purple salts stood on the corner of the bath, which had already been run. Emily couldn't remember the last time there had been hot water back home as she slid into the warm water, made silky by a handful of the bath salts, which smelled fruity and sweet.

Emily relaxed in the water and lathered her hair with shampoo, dunking her head in to wash it out. Wiping her eyes on the towel she'd placed on the side of the bath, Emily smoothed her hair back from her face and began to sing quietly to herself. She had heard the Ed Sheeran song 'Sing', on the radio at home. She started with the "oh" that jumped notes and softly added the "Sing!" not wanting to be overheard. She got to the higher part and her voice cracked a little. She decided she just had to go for it, and her voice came out clearer.

" _I need you darling, won't you set the tone, if you feel you're falling, won't you let me know_?" she continued, " _Ooh-ooh-ooh_." She liked the sound of the high riff and got back round to the "Sing!" part.

Ryan was walking down the corridor, having changed into his pyjamas. His bare feet brushed the carpet as he got neared the bathroom. He paused outside, hearing someone singing quietly. He listened as the voice easily reached all of the high notes, with a warm tone. Emily. He thought he recognised the song.

Smirking, he knocked on the door.

The singing stopped abruptly.

Emily sat bolt upright, sloshing drips of water onto the floor. She glanced around, though no one could see through the frosted glass. She wiped water out of her eyes and wondered who was knocking.

"Hey, can't anyone get in the bathroom?" Ryan said irritably.

"I've got it booked 'til half past," Emily replied, immediately discerning the Liverpool accent as Ryan's.

"Well," he said, glancing at the clock on the wall, "You've got five minutes."

"OK," she called back, blushing pink when she realised that Ryan had probably heard her singing. She heard footsteps leading away from the door, and got out of the bath and straight into her towel, shivering as she dried herself.

Emily put the pyjamas on and rubbed her hair vigorously with the towel, until it stopped dripping down her back. She brushed her teeth and checked the clock. Eight twenty nine. Emily decided to go back to her room before the boy would come knocking again, so she hung up her towel and shrugged on the dressing gown. She unlocked the bathroom door and, pulling the dressing gown tighter around her, went out into the corridor, smacking straight into the boy himself.

He glanced up as Emily's arms collided with his chest. Her hands dropped to her sides and her eyes widened. He rubbed his chest with one hand resentfully, if not a little shocked.

"Oh, um," she stammered, "Sorry."

"It's, um, fine," he mumbled, raising an eyebrow at her. He folded his arms, adding, "Like to _sing_ , d'yeh?" He smirked, moving past her and closing the bathroom door behind him.

Emily flushed bright red and hurried back to her room, closing the door behind her. She narrowed her eyes. He just had to embarrass her, didn't he? A few minutes later, May-Li knocked on her door and Emily scrambled to hide her notebook under the covers.

"Come in," she called, and May-Li poked her head around the door.

"Ready for bed, Emily?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Emily said, smiling awkwardly.

"Well, put your light off soon," she said, "Sleep well."

"'Night, May-Li," the girl replied, "Oh, I left the bath salts in the bathroom, sorry."

"Hey, that's OK," May-Li said, "I'm glad they helped. I'll just go get them now. Goodnight, Emily." She closed the door.

Emily smiled to herself, and for the first time since she'd got there, she did sleep well.

* * *

The following morning, Emily woke up when the rest of the kids were getting ready for school. She pulled on a pair of her mum's blue jeans, Carmen's old black vest and went to the cupboard to choose a top. She decided on one of the coloured button-up shirts; the black and white striped one. She left the top button undone and glanced at herself in the mirror. Running a hand through her hair, Emily closed the wardrobe doors and sat down.

Pulling on the socks she had worn the day before, she tugged the on brown boots and they fitted her well. As she laced them up, there was a knock on the door. She opened it, revealing Tee in her school uniform who smiled at her.

"Morning, Emily," the blond girl said.

"Morning, Tee," Emily returned with a smile.

"Hey, you look nice," Tee said generously.

"Oh, um, thanks," Emily said shyly.

"There's spare toast in the kitchen if you want it," the older girl offered.

"OK," she replied, stepping out of her room and closing the door behind her.

"Cool shirt," said Jody, as Emily went down into the kitchen.

"Have a nice day off school," Bailey said sourly.

Emily raised her eyebrows and sat down at the table, reaching for a slice of toast from the plate in the middle. Tyler rushed through the kitchen en route to the hallway, grabbing a piece of toast as he went.

"Hey, leave some for Emily," Johnny protested, placing a glass of orange juice on the table in front of her.

"Thanks, Johnny," said Emily. Ryan stood in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes at them.

"Come on, Ryan," said May-Li, coming into the kitchen to round up the rest of the kids for school. "You don't want to be late." He reluctantly peeled himself from the wall and slunk out of the room.

"Come on, everyone!" May-Li called, and then turned to the remaining to kids. "I've got to take some of the kids in my car, as we're running late," she explained. "Emily, you can stay here with Johnny for a little while. Is that all right?" She looked expectantly at them.

"Sure, we can hold down the fort for quarter of an hour," Johnny said with ease, sitting down opposite Emily.

"OK, well, I'll be back soon," said the dark haired woman, leaving the room.

Emily finished her toast and sipped on the juice. She frowned, and Johnny said nothing for a moment. She placed her cup down carefully on the table.

"You OK?" he asked, resting his head on his fist.

"I'm seeing my mum," Emily blurted out, "Mike said he can arrange it."

"Wow," said Johnny, "Is that good?"

"I guess…" Emily trailed off. "I haven't seen her since she and dad got divorced… did they actually get a divorce?" she wondered aloud.

"How… how long ago was that?" Johnny asked tentatively.

"This isn't public information," Emily emphasised, "But she left six years ago."

"Ah," was all he said. "Well, you'll have a lot of questions for her."

"Yep," Emily replied, gulping the rest of her drink.

"I can clear the table," said Johnny, getting up, "Want to use the computer in the living room? It's already on, so you don't have to log in or anything."

Emily nodded, standing up and going into the living room. She sat down in front of the computer and turned on the screen. She glanced at the named folders containing the kids' work on the desktop, then opened the internet browser. She browsed clothing sites out of curiosity, but found nothing she really liked. Mike and May-Li soon returned.

Pulling off the earphones, and placing them down on the keyboard, Emily glanced up to see May-Li coming towards her. She closed the browser window and turned off the monitor, getting up.

"Emily, Mike wants to see you in the office," she said, "Your social worker want to talk to you."

"My social worker…?" Emily stammered. "Wait-" she frowned, storming past May-Li into the hallway. She saw through the windows that Andrea was in the office with Mike. The office door was ajar, so Emily pushed past it and scowled at the woman who had turned up.

"Emily," Andrea said, faking a smile, "I just wanted to see how you were getting on."

"Aside from the fact that you ruined my life," Emily snapped, "Just fine, thanks."

"Emily has settled in really well," Mike assured her, exaggerating slightly.

"Excellent," she said, with a simpering look at the thirteen year old. "Have you been behaving well, Emily?"

"Yes," Mike filled in, "She's been very good, um-" he coughed awkwardly, remembering the fight between Emily and Carmen on the first day. "Emily's been through a lot, but she's been handling the change really well."

Emily nodded decidedly, crossing her arms.

"Well," said Mike, addressing her, "Andrea and I have got some things to discuss, but we don't need you to stay."

"Run along, now, Emily," said Andrea, making a slight shooing gesture with her hand.

"Emily, can you ask May-Li to come to the office, please," Mike added, recalling that May-Li wanted to speak to him about Emily. The thirteen year old girl moodily left the room. She went into the kitchen and saw May-Li making a start on the washing up.

"Um, May-Li?" she asked, "Mike wants you to speak to him and Andrea in the office." She choked a little on her social worker's name. Couldn't she have someone – anyone – else as her social worker?

"Of course," said May-Li, drying her hands. "Would you mind doing some dishes?"

"Of course not," Emily replied, silently cursing her bad luck. Tied to the kitchen sink, how could she hope to eavesdrop? Johnny had finished tidying up and leaned against the worktop.

May-Li went into the office and closed the door. The discussion began.

"We do have some more information," May-Li put in, "I'd had a chance to speak to Emily."

"I wanted to book her in for a meeting," said Andrea, "So we can know what's really going on, apart from the obvious, of course."

"I think Emily would benefit from something less formal," said Mike. "I can just talk to her tomorrow. She'll speak to us."

"All right," Andrea agreed, "Isn't Emily attending school?"

"We, uh, let her off this week," Mike said hesitantly, "She wasn't up to it."

"Right," Andrea said, looking displeased.

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about," Mike said, taking off his glasses and folding his arms. "Social Services have managed to track down Emily's mum. She hasn't seen her since she left when she was little, and, well, Mrs Anderson wanted to see her daughter."

"I don't think that would be appropriate," Andrea said firmly, "Not this early in being taken into care. It would unsettle her."

"I think it already has," May-Li interjected, "Emily was only seven when her mum left. I think she has the right to see her."

"We've carried out all the checks, and we think it would only be right for Emily's mum to come here," said Mike, "To have a chat."

"Supervised, of course," said Andrea.

"Of course," said May-Li, "Mike will sit with them. It'll be not more than half an hour, for the first meeting." She looked at Mike and he nodded.

"All right," Andrea agreed. "I'll see what I can do. Before the end of the week, say?"

"Yes," said Mike, with relief, "That would be really good. Thank you, Andrea."

"Add any relevant information to Emily's file," said Andrea, "Though make sure she's telling you the truth. Children have a habit of exaggerating."

"OK," said Mike, showing her out. He exchanged a glance with May-Li before opening the front door and seeing Andrea to her car. He came back in a frowned.

"Well, that was interesting," said May-Li, shuffling some papers on her desk.

"She has the wrong personality for a social worker," Mike muttered, sitting down at his desk and passing a hand across his eyes.

"Well, I'll fix Emily and Johnny some lunch in a few hours. I've got some reading to catch up on," said May-Li, sitting down at her own desk, opposite her.

"I'll make a few phone calls," said Mike, before picking up the phone and dialling. He spoke to the twin's social worker for a few minutes, before putting the phone down and glancing at May-Li.

"When are the twins coming back, then?" she asked, glancing up from her book.

Mike sighed. "Friday."

"Right," she said, getting up. "We'll have to get the rooms sorted then, better to get it done in plenty of time, I'll ask Johnny for help."

"All right," Mike agreed.

May-Li left to enlist the help of Emily and Johnny in moving rooms. Emily rushed up to her room ahead of them, heaving the chest of drawers and reaching for her bundle of notebooks. She stuffed it in her school bag as Johnny came in. She went round the rest of her room, grabbing the small things that would fit in her bag.

"Good idea," he said. "Shall I fold your clothes and put them in a bag so they can be moved easily?" He waved a roll of black bags in one hand.

"Sure," she replied with a nod, putting her rucksack in the corridor. They quickly gathered all of Emily's things and put them in the corridor. Together they stripped the bed and piled up the sheets in the corridor. May-Li came along with armfuls of bedding and dumped them in Emily's room.

"Johnny, I need your help moving the extra bed in here," May-Li instructed, and Johnny went to get a hold of the bed that was crammed next to another one in the box room. Mike came up to help and they both moved the bed into the room that had been Emily's for a short time.

"I don't mind having a small room, honestly," said Emily, when Mike apologised again. She glanced into the room, seeing that it was the same size as her room back home. She didn't have much stuff anyway.

When the room move had taken place, Emily jumped onto her bed and leaned back, putting her hands behind her head. The walls of the box room were white and the window was quite big for a small room, letting in a lot of light. Her clothes had been put away in a smaller wardrobe in the corner and there was a little cabinet with three drawers next to her bed.

It was time for lunch and Emily sat down with Johnny and May-Li for a couple of sandwiches. Emily ate hers, slowly getting used to the abundance of food in the house. Mike popped in to get a plate of food to take back to the office.

"Mike's rather busy at the moment," May-Li apologised, "What with the twins returning."

"What are their names?" Emily asked, curious.

"Billie and Toni," Johnny filled in. "They came here a good few weeks ago now."

"And they were fostered?" she questioned.

"Yeah," said May-Li, "But it hasn't worked out, so the girls will be coming back here on Friday."

Emily nodded, knowing better than to ask any more questions about Billie and Toni. She would have associated the names with boys, but, as May-Li mentioned, Emily would be meeting two new girls the following day.

"I'll probably go out for a run later," said Johnny, getting up from the table when the three of them had finished.

"Not too soon," May-Li warned, "You'll get indigestion."

"Yeah, that's why I said 'later'," he replied quickly, raising his eyebrows and grinning.

"How long before you leave for the army, Johnny?" Emily asked, resting her elbows on the table. She had known the boy for nearly a week and already felt she would miss him when he finally left the care home.

"Just over a week," Johnny replied. "No doubt the rest of the kids will throw me some extravagant party on my last day."

"You've got to act surprised, Johnny," May-Li emphasised, raising an eyebrow at him. "Don't go ruining it for everyone." Her voice took on a teasing tone.

"Yes, May-Li," Johnny said with a smile. "I'm gonna go check if there's anything I've forgotten to buy."

"OK," May-Li agreed, getting up and taking the remaining things to the sink. She busied herself with stacking the few dishes they had used. "You OK, today, Emily?" she asked, not turning round.

Emily hesitated.

"Yeah, I'm OK," she said, a little quietly. May-Li turned round to look at her.

"Well," Emily went on, seeing the questioning look on May-Li's face. "I'm a bit nervous, about seeing my mum, that is."

"Well, that's understandable," May-Li considered, coming over to her. She reached across the table to lay a hand on Emily's shoulder. "You already did the breakfast dishes, so you're free from chores until everyone else gets back from school."

Emily smiled at her and made her way into the living room, catching up on the television shows she had missed since her father put a foot through their TV screen. She settled herself on the sofa, waved goodbye to Johnny half way through a programme called _Wolfblood,_ May-Li crossed through to the office some time later, and Emily continued watching the channel for the next couple of hours.

Johnny came back and threw himself down in a sweaty heap next to Emily on the sofa.

"You might want to take a shower," Emily suggested.

"Aw, thanks," he replied sarcastically.

"Well, they will smell you as soon as they come through the door," Emily added, hiding a smile.

Mike came into the living room a little while later when it was time that school finished.

"Hey, Johnny," he said, adding, "You going to take a shower before dinner?"

"See," Emily said with a smirk. Johnny sighed.

"I'm going to get the kids from school," Mike said, turning to go, "See you two in a bit."

"Bye, Mike," said Johnny. "Well, I guess I will go take a shower before everyone else gets back and wants the bathroom."

"Fair enough," Emily returned, turning off the TV. She wandered into the garden and sat down on the swinging bench. The first person to get home and come into the garden was Ryan. He stopped as he noticed her swinging her feet and looking down at the grass, her hair concealing her face. Clenching his fists and pumping his shoulders once, he walked confidently up to her and sat down, unbalancing the bench.

Emily looked up in surprise as the bench swung. Ryan glanced at her and folded his arms, leaning back. They swung their feet as the bench swayed.

"Have a nice day at school?" Emily asked.

"As school goes," Ryan said casually, not meeting her eyes.

"I guess..." she said quietly, "I hate my school."

"Yew should ask Mike if you can transfer in September," Ryan suggested.

"Good idea," said Emily, "Do any of the other kids go to the same school as you?"

"Yeh: Tyler, Jody, Bailey, Mo, Carmen and Tee." Ryan's voice went a little cold at the mention of Tee. "So, most of us," he said, "It makes sense."

"And it's easier for Mike, I suppose," Emily added.

Ryan nodded slowly, his mind clearly elsewhere. Some of the other kids came out to play football and Mo rushed to tend to his plants. Mischief was bounding about after the ball and Emily was glad she felt tucked away on the swinging bench. They sat there in silence for a few moments.

"Ooh, Ryan and _Emily_ ," said a teasing voice. Tyler had come out into the garden, about to join in with the football game. He grinned at the two of them. Ryan gave him a sour look.

"Come on," Ryan muttered, getting up and Emily followed. Tyler laughed with Bailey as the pair left the garden.

They sat down in the living room with the other kids, and neither was called for chores until it was time for dinner. Dinner was followed by the getting ready of the little kids for bed. Emily went back to her new room, excused from chores, and put her pyjamas on, settling down in bed and scribbling in her notebook. She eyed her rucksack which bulged with her possessions, and vowed to hide her notebooks in a safer place tomorrow.

Sometime later, Emily went to brush her teeth before bed. Then May-Li poked her head around the bedroom door and bid her goodnight. Emily turned off the light.

* * *

 _ **NEXT TIME, ON 'GOING HOME'...**_

 **What will Emily reveal about her past?  
Will she get to see her mother sooner than she thought?  
And will Ryan manage to win the bet?**

 **Catch the next chapter on Wednesday...**


	12. 12: Things Best Hidden

**(Disclaimer: All rights to any featured songs belong to the artist(s).)**

 **Hey, guys! Thank you so much for reading an reviewing, and thank you for 30 reviews! *claps hands excitedly*  
Also, I've hit 2,000 views on this story, which I am immensely grateful for! Thanks, guys! This is another long chapter...  
**

 **Today's special mention goes to 'slytherintogryffindor', who unfortunately has broken their leg! But thanks for all of your reviews and hope you feel better soon x**

 **LAST TIME, ON 'GOING HOME'...**

 **Emily's social worker Andrea turns up, but agrees to let Emily see her mother.  
The twins are returning, so Emily moves her stuff into the box room.  
Emily and Ryan have a chat when he gets back from school.**

 **Enjoy, guys!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Things Best Hidden

Emily woke on Wednesday morning to the sound of running footsteps in the corridor. There was a little clock on the wall which read half past six. Why were people running around so early in the morning? Of course, it only felt early to Emily now that she had been able to sleep in for nearly a week. She always used to get up at this time, if earlier, to get the chores done before school. She pushed the covers back and got up, shrugging on the blue dressing gown, going to the door and peering out into the corridor. She saw Floss being chased by Harry as Floss was holding both her 'Jeff' and Harry's. She disappeared around the corner. The corridor was then quiet and Emily decided to get in the bathroom before there was a queue.

Emily brushed her hair back from her face and crept out into the corridor, closing her door quietly behind her. She went along towards the bathroom and was about to try the handle when she heard a distinct voice belting out a song. The shower was running and the voice sung confidently, not caring that it was half six in the morning.

"Da, da-da-da, oh-oh-oh-oh," the voice began scatting a riff, "Whoa-oh."

Emily thought she recognised the tune.

"When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions, free of the coliseums," he continued, and the slight Liverpool accent that still carried through identified the singer as Ryan. He continued, oblivious to anyone listening. Emily leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms, smiling slightly.

"We are wild," he sang, drawing out the 'are' with a crescendo, "We are like young volcanoes."

Emily listened for a few more minutes as the song went on. A few of the other kids started getting up and coming out of their rooms. Jody and Tyler chattered as they came up behind Emily. She smiled at them and they exchanged good morning's.

"Is that Ryan?" Jody asked with a smirk. Emily nodded.

"He's not bad," Tyler put in.

"This is what we have to put up with every morning," Jody half-heartedly complained.

"Doesn't Ryan gave en suite?" Emily asked curiously.

"Yeah, but his shower's broken," Tyler explained.

"Mike couldn't get a plumber in until today for some reason," Jody filled in, "Ryan's had to use the main bathroom all week."

Emily nodded as Ryan repeated the chorus, and coming to the end of the song.

Carmen came up the corridor, discovering there was already a queue at six thirty-five in the morning. She frowned, looking tired and grumpy.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Tyler joked and Carmen shot him a glare.

"Seriously, who's in there?" she demanded, moving past the three of them and pounding on the door.

"Where's the fire?" Ryan yelled, stopping mid-song lyric.

"Get out," she ordered, "You've gone over your slot, Justin Bieber."

"Ooh," Ryan said sourly, raising his voice a little. "Is that cos yew like him?"

Carmen rolled her eyes. "I mean it, Ryan! I need time to dry my hair before school."

"A'right, princess," he snapped, and the kids outside heard the shower being shut off. Carmen adjusted her pink dressing gown over one arm and held onto her make-up bag.

"Just because his personal shower's broken, doesn't mean he has to disrupt my schedule," Carmen fumed, and Emily guessed she was a little bit of a control freak.

Ryan leisurely stepped out of the shower and straight into a large towel with a shiver. He quickly dried his skinny limbs and rubbed his short hair vigorously until it was almost dry. Wrapping the red towel round his waist, he took his deodorant from the shelf and applied it liberally, before shrugging on his short-sleeved white school shirt. He checked his hair in the mirror as his shirt hung loosely open on his narrow frame. There was another knock in the door and he made a face as he bent to pull on his pants and black school trousers. He hung his towel on the rail and began to button up his shirt as he went towards the bathroom door. He unlocked the door and stepped out, expecting to only see Carmen as no one else would be up that early...

Opening the door to reveal a little crowd of his housemates before him, Ryan struggled not to blush as he saw Emily immediately to his right, leaning on the doorframe. Emily pushed off from the doorframe and moved her weight to her other leg, tilting her head to the side as she took in Ryan's untidy yet fresh appearance. He halfway through buttoning up his shirt that revealed his pale chest and prominent collar bones. He ran a hand through his light hair that looked a shade or two darker as it was damp, as Carmen pushed past him into the bathroom. She came back out again, Ryan's red school tie in her hand. Tyler and Jody exchanged an amused glance. Carmen slapped the tie into his hand with a scowl.

"Left your tie, Justin," she snapped, slamming the bathroom door and locking it.

"So much for there being a queue," Jody commented, sinking down to sit on the floor, where Tyler joined her.

"Now she's gonna be in there for at least ten minutes," Jody grumbled.

"Just use the spare," Ryan said irritably, gesturing with one hand in an exasperated fashion. He raised an eyebrow at them. Jody and Tyler exchanged a glance before springing to their feet and rushing off, both eager to use the bathroom before the other.

Emily looked at the boy as he finished buttoning up his shirt, leaving the top button undone as he turned his collar up and looped his tie around his neck. Emily leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.

"No school, again, then?" Ryan remarked, straightening his tie and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black trousers.

"Nope," Emily replied, brushing her hair back from her face with one hand.

"Lucky bug," Ryan muttered, glancing down the corridor but making no move to leave.

"Does Carmen always take a long time?" She asked, with a look of slight discomfort.

"Yeah, but," Ryan hesitated, then looked at her, "Yew could use me en suite if you want."

"Really?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Ehm, yeah," Ryan muttered, staring at the floor. "Well, come on, then."

He started down the corridor and Emily decided she had no choice but to follow. Aside from the fact she did need the toilet, Emily did feel like having a look around Ryan's room again. She would be subtle, of course. Ryan's room was at the end of the corridor and Emily noticed the small metal plaque which read 'staff'. Emily raised her eyebrow at this detail she hadn't previously noticed but entered the room after he did.

"Go on," he said, gesturing towards the bathroom door. Emily gave an awkward look before going towards it. "There's a lock, but no one's gonna come in." Ryan sat down on his bed to pull a pair of black socks onto his thin pale feet.

"OK, thanks," she said, closing the door behind her. Hesitating before doing so, she turned the lock and looked around. The the bottom half of the walls was turquoise painted wood and there was a shower cubicle in one corner with frosted glass. After using the toilet, Emily washed her hands at the sink before searching for a towel, finding a red one on the radiator. She dried her hands and looked in the mirror, running her hand through her hair a couple of times. She rubbed at her face with her hands, deciding she couldn't wash and then dry it on Ryan's towel, that might be going a bit far. She exited the bathroom as Ryan was rubbing get through his hair in front of the mirror.

The room was large, with one wall painted orange, with a desk with a computer and some papers. One wall was covered in photographs of past and present Dumping Ground kids, and there was even a squishy red sofa next to the bed. The double bed was unmade, the striped sheets crumpled, and the red duvet almost half on the floor.

Ryan glanced round suddenly, noticing Emily watching him, and wiped his hands on his trousers. His mousey hair was now back from his forehead and stuck up a little at the front. He crossed to the bed as Emily sat down on the sofa. He pulled at the sheets in an attempt to straighten them and tugged the duvet back into place.

"I could clean a bit," he mumbled as he stooped to pick up some underwear and a grey collared shirt from the floor. "Well, make yerself at home," he added sarcastically as Emily tucked her feet up under her and leaned against the arm of the sofa with a smile.

"So, how come you're in here, then?" Emily asked as Ryan came to sit on his bed near her. "The door said 'staff'."

Ryan smirked, and Emily sensed a story.

"Well, Johnny was in 'ere when Mo caused a flood that damaged his room," Ryan explained, "And the next day I arrived."

"Mo caused a flood?" Emily asked incredulously. "When was this?"

"Maybe a month or two ago," Ryan said evasively, continuing, "And I would have had to share with Mo." Ryan cringed slightly. "So I asked Johnny if he'd swap, but he said no, even to a tenner. Anyway, turns out there was a burglary the dey before, when they were havin' some sort of foster day."

Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Where foster parents came to browse the care kids section," Ryan said sourly, rolling his eyes. "Proper glad I wasn't there," he added in a mutter. He cleared his throat before going on. "And anyway, I caught the thief and stopped Johnny gettin' the blame, so they let me have the room."

Emily stared at him and narrowed her eyes. She folded her arms.

"No," she said shortly.

"What d'yehmean, 'no'?" Ryan asked, sounding slightly insulted.

"No, there's got to be more," she insisted, "It can't have been that simple. How do I know you weren't more about involved?"

"Yewcallin' me a liar?" He accused, but looked at the floor. He sighed. "A'right, I didn't just catch the thief. Mo found the empty wallets in the bins outside, but I told him not to say anything. I moved the wallets to the attic and hid one in 'ere to get Johnny out of the wey."

"I thought you and Johnny were friends?" She questioned.

"He didn't know about it," he snapped impatiently, "That's the point of _lying_." He raised an eyebrow meaningfully. "So then I found out who the thief was – Maude – a girl whose parents wanted to foster Harry. I told her to bring me the money and I wouldn't tell on her. But the Mo stupidly spilled to Tee, and she followed and overheard me talking to Maude about the money."

"How does this equate to you being rewarded?" Emily asked, a little lost.

"Easy," Ryan replied with a smirk. "I knew someone was listening outside the attic, so I turned the situation in its head and made it out that I had persuaded Maude to confess, and that I didn't want the money for meself."

"So, this ends with Maude confessing to the police and you coming out the hero who convinced her _it's better to tell the truth_?" Emily said wryly, rubbing her forehead. "You must have been pretty desperate not to share with Mo."

"Have yew seen his room?" Ryan asked sourly, flopping back on the bed and draping an arm across his eyes.

Emily laughed.

"Ehm, don't tell anyone, yeh?" he said, a little uncertainly.

"Course not," Emily said shortly, "What's the point in getting you in trouble for something that happened weeks ago?" She stood up. The clock on the wall stated it was seven o'clock, and Emily started across the room. Ryan peeked out from under his arm to see Emily was on his other side and reaching for the door handle.

"Hey, where yeh goin'?" He asked, sitting up and turning round to look at her.

"To grab some breakfast," she said, turning the handle and opening the door. She stepped out to see Johnny coming down the corridor. She pulled the door almost closed. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hey, Emily," he said, "What were you doing in there?" He glanced at the door that was only open a crack. Ryan listened with interest, creeping silently closer to the door.

"Oh, I was just using the bathroom," she rambled.

"Ryan doesn't like people doing that," Johnny said, raising an eyebrow. "I know _I_ didn't when I had that room."

"Well, let's be glad he doesn't know about it, then," Emily shrugged.

"Oh, he's not in there, is he?" Johnny questioned, leaning towards the door.

"Nope," Emily said quickly, closing the door fully. "Want to grab some breakfast? I'm starving."

"Sure," said Johnny, leading the way down the corridor.

Ryan pressed his ear to the door and heard the retreating footsteps of Johnny and Emily. He quietly turned the handle and peered out. Johnny and Emily had disappeared around the corner so Ryan crept out into the corridor and closed his bedroom door behind him. He folded up his shirt sleeves as he sauntered down the corridor. He rounded the corner and almost bumped into Tee who was in her school uniform. He smirked and she scowled at him, adjusting her French plaits. Moving around her, he went downstairs, followed by Bailey and Mo, who had come down the corridor.

"Watch out, Bailey," Ryan said snidely, throwing a cold look over his shoulder, "Or yew won't have time to take that mangy dog out for a walk."

"Hey, you watch it," Bailey said, sounding dangerous, "I've already walked Mischief."

Ryan rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen, where May-Li and some of the kids were already helping themselves to breakfast. Harry struggled with a full container of cereal and heaved it towards the table.

"Careful, don't spill it!" May-Li warned, lending a hand in pouring Harry a bowl of cereal.

Emily and Johnny stood leaning against the worktop by the sink; Johnny had a piece of toast and Emily sipped at a glass of juice. Ryan's expression deepened into a scowl as he went to the toaster to put some on for himself. Breakfast ensued and Ryan sat at the table, glancing every so often with narrowed eyes at the smiling, laughing pair.

"So, you're back in you room, then?" Emily asked conversationally. "I suppose they've fixed the flood damage now."

"Yeah, I'm not sharing with Mo anymore," Johnny asked, "Not since the flood damage was sorted."

"So, Ryan's still got the staff bedroom," Emily mused, "Shouldn't he be sharing with Mo?" She smirked slightly, catching Ryan's eye and quickly tearing her gaze away.

"Nah, he was lucky," Johnny replied. He paused. "Who told you about the flood?"

"Um, Mike," Emily quickly lied. "It just came up." She shrugged, "An interesting way to do fostering."

"Yeah," Johnny laughed, and Emily grinned. "I don't think we'll be doing any of that sort of thing again. But, then again, it doesn't really affect me as I'll be leaving soon. No point in me getting fostered."

"I guess," Emily said, looking serious, "When are you leaving?"

"Just over a week, now," he answered, finishing his toast and brushing the crumbs off his hands. "I'm really looking forward to starting."

"I bet you are," Emily said, smiling kindly, but a small part of her didn't want him to leave. She'd only known him a week, but he was really nice, almost like a big brother. But he had better things to move onto.

"I'm going to get a head start on my chores," he said, leaving her.

"Have fun with that," said Emily, raising an eyebrow. He grinned at her before leaving the kitchen.

"Where's Harry and Finn?" May-Li asked aloud, "They're going to be late if they don't have breakfast soon." Emily shrugged, and May-Li went to go fetch them.

Emily turned to the sink and placed down the bowl she had used and put the cup on the worktop next to it. Her hands were a little sticky from the juice so she turned on the tap to wash them. Ryan came up behind her, reaching round her to put his plate in the sink. She felt him brush her shoulder and gave an involuntary shiver.

"Havin' fun with Johnny, are we?" he muttered in her ear. She frowned, setting her jaw.

"Jealous, are we?" she retorted, grabbing the hand towel and looking square at him.

He swallowed and quickly turned and left the kitchen. Emily huffed, throwing down the towel and straightening her dressing gown. She went through to the kitchen as Jody and Carmen came downstairs.

"Hey," said Jody, smiling, then looked disappointed. "I can't believe you don't have to go to school."

Emily shrugged with a grin.

"Three more days!" Jody complained, throwing her hands up as Carmen went into the kitchen.

The living room was quite empty, but Bailey was sitting on the floor, lacing his trainers. He had looked up as Jody had walked in.

"Hey, I fink you forgot sumfin'," he said, pointing at Jody's lack of tie, "And we've got inset on Friday." He stood up and looked at her.

Realisation dawned on Jody's face and she grinned suddenly. "Oh, yeah!" She fist-pumped and went to high-five Bailey. He looked surprised, but put his hand up and they high-fived. "I would say 'only two more days of being stuck with you', but we live in the same house, so I'm stuck seeing your face every day."

"Well, lucky you," he said sarcastically, but they exchanged a grin. She ran back upstairs to fetch her tie.

After all of the kids had eaten and finished getting ready for school, they had gathered in the hallway. Emily got up and went out into the hall to wave goodbye to everyone. Carmen sat on the stairs putting her shoes on. She shot Emily a glare and stood up. The other kids shouldered their bags and made a move towards the door. Mike had arrived for work and opened the door to let the kids get on the mini-bus.

"Enjoy school," Emily called as Harry, Finn and Floss left, waving at her before they went.

"How is this fair?" Carmen complained, gesturing towards Emily, "She's still in her pyjamas! What's so special about her?"

"Just leave it, please," said May-Li, giving her a stern look. Emily leaned against the doorframe to the living room and folded her arms, looking coldly at the older girl.

"Just get on the bus, Carmen," said Tee, moving past her friend. She took her arm and they left the house. Mo ran into the hallway and was ushered out by Mike, followed by the other kids.

"Come on, Ryan," May-Li said, laying a hand on his shoulder as he came through the hall. "You don't want to be late."

"Yes, May-Li," he muttered, catching Emily's eye coldly, though he looked a little hurt when he met eyes with her, and went out of the front door, slamming it behind him. May-Li raised her eyebrows and glanced around the hall.

"Well, that's everybody," she said, hands on hips. "Want to have a shower, now? At least you can spend as long as you want, now that the house is empty."

"Sure," Emily replied, "Thanks, May-Li." She went up the stairs.

After grabbing a quick shower, Emily went back to her room to change. She pulled on her black skinny jeans, the blue and green shirt, folding the sleeves up once as they were slightly too long. She shoved her damp hair up into a high ponytail using a hair tie she had found in the bathroom, and left her room. She went downstairs to find a pair of socks from the laundry room. May-Li was in there, taking out a pile of socks and underwear from the tumble drier.

"Here, take some socks," May-Li offered. "If you can find two that match," she added, laughing.

"Oh, if that's OK," Emily mumbled, searching through the pile May-Li had put on the worktop.

"Yeah, no one's gonna mind," she said, closing the washing machine door and turning it on as she had put another load on. "I'll get you some of your own at the weekend, if that's OK."

"Yeah, thanks," Emily replied. "I can help with the clothes later, if you want."

"That would be great," said May-Li, as the front door opened and closed. "Oh, if you're looking for Johnny, he's gone out training." She went out of the laundry room and Emily leaned to one side to see May-Li and Mike go into the office.

Emily quickly grabbed two black socks, not really caring if they matched properly, and headed upstairs, cautiously inching past the office. Mike and May-Li seemed to be discussing something, so Emily crept up the stairs and rushed back to her room to fetch her stack of notebooks. She headed up to the attic, slowly climbing the stairs that led up to the bit dark room in the roof. A mist of dust could be seen in the shafts of light and there were several bookshelves and lots of boxes scattered around. Emily hunted around, finding old toys, a box full of copies of a book by someone called 'Tracy Beaker'.

Emily tried to imagine herself as one of the other kids poking around in the attic, and wondered where they would be least likely to look. If they weren't looking for a pile of scruffy exercise books, where would they not find it? Emily made a snap decision to split up the four books she had, and hide them individually. She had numbered them Books 1-4 and each chronologically told of her childhood and most recently Emily had only written under the guise of Lara.

Emily lifted up the box of Tracy Beaker books and put one of her notebooks underneath, replacing the box on top. She folded up another one and wedged it between a wooden beam and the ceiling, reaching up on her tiptoes to do so. Another notebook went upside down and under the leg of one set of shelves which had previously been wobbly. The last one she rolled up and wrapped the elastic bands around it and hid it behind a pile of boxes that were taped shut.

She stepped back to admire her work. All of the books carefully concealed, she left the attic and went back downstairs, only to be faced with Mike at the bottom of the stairs. She swallowed as he looked rather serious.

"Emily, I was just about to call you," he said, "Would you mind stepping into the office?"

She had no choice but to do as he said. Closing the door behind them, she turned to face Mike. He gestured for her to take a seat on the sofa and she tentatively did do. He sat down at his desk and put his glasses on.

"I wanted you to ask you some questions," he began, "So we can make our records more accurate."

"You want to know the truth about me," she said flatly. "Doesn't Social normally organise this?" Emily's mind flashed back to two years ago, when she Social Services had first gotten involved in her life.

"Yes, but, I thought it might suit you better if I just asked you some things," he explained, "A bit less formal and awkward."

"Fair enough," she said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her thighs, brushing that memory away. She felt comfortable spilling her life story to Mike, seeing as he clearly had the best intentions and there was little point in her records being wrong, though she vowed to leave some things out. After all, some things were best left hidden. She flipped her uneven hair over her shoulder and rested her chin on her fists. "So, do you want to take notes, or shall I just start?"

Mike looked surprised. He blinked from behind his glasses.

"I'm taking this rather well, I presume?" Emily said wryly, and Mike smiled.

"You can just start," he said, "We just need the basic details, really. Could you tell me about when your mum left?"

"Sure," Emily said, sounding a little uncomfortable, but she quickly pressed on. "My mum left when I was seven after months of arguments with Dad. She'd been having an affair or something, and just packed a suitcase one night and left." Emily took a deep breath. "She sent presents every birthday, but I haven't seen her since."

Mike nodded. "And... your father?"

"Dad... didn't take it so well," Emily stammered, trying to get a hold of herself. "He struggled to look after me as he had to work still, so for a few years the neighbour looked after me, but then she moved away. Dad got... ill, well – not ill exactly, but he wasn't himself anymore. He was sad all the time."

"I think your father may have suffered with depression," Mike said quietly. "Did he ever see a doctor?"

Emily shook her head. "He started drinking when I was about ten or eleven, and the past couple of years, he's been... quite bad."

"Did he ever hurt you?" Mike questioned, watching her expression.

"No," she replied, too quickly. She swallowed. "I could cope fine, but Dad always needed me to look after him." She shrugged, leaning back and casting her eyes to the wall. "But I got used to it. I mean, I had to do all the work around the house, but me and Dad were fine, really."

Mike nodded. "Well, he's getting the help he needs right now, at the Rehabilitation Centre." Emily shuddered at his choice of words. "I'd been looking at your medical history," he continued, and Emily tensed. "And... you were admitted to hospital a few years ago. Why was that?"

Emily froze, searching for an answer. She finally replied. "I fell down the stairs," she whispered. "I was alone in the house, and I slipped," she added, not telling the complete truth.

"OK," Mike agreed. "You spent some more time in hospital, sometime last year? Did you have an eating disorder?" He looked at her with concern.

"No," Emily denied, "There hadn't been enough food in the house for a few months, and I just fainted at school. I didn't have a problem, the doctors didn't diagnose me with one," she added stoically, crossing her arms. "Blame it on my father if you have to, spending all the money on booze to drown his sorrows." The last phrase she uttered with distaste, as she had despised her father's habit for some years now.

"All right," Mike said with a sigh. "Thank you for telling me."

"It's fine," Emily said with a shrug, "You deserve to know." She glanced at him. "Can I go now?" She leaned forward slightly in anticipation to be free from the probing questions.

"There was one other thing," Mike said, and Emily flinched at the thought of having to give away any more painful information. "You know what I said about arranging a visit with your mother?"

Emily nodded.

"Well, Social Services have been in touch and she can come and see you tomorrow, if that's all right?" Mike looked expectantly at her.

Emily's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.

"Yes, I guess that would be OK," she said before she could stop herself.

"Great," Mike said with a smile. "I'll let you know what time she's coming tomorrow."

"OK," Emily said awkwardly, standing up.

"Yes, you can go now," Mike said, gesturing towards the door. Emily breathed a sigh of relief and left the office.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. Johnny returned from his run, they had lunch and before she knew it, it was time for the rest of the kids to arrive home from school.

Ryan came through the hall with a few of the other kids, slinking into the living room and spotting Emily. He sauntered up to her, tilting his head to one side. She frowned at him, remembering the bet she had made with him the day before.

"Well, I thought you should know," Emily began, checking to see that none of the other kids were in earshot, "My mum's coming here for a visit tomorrow."

He hid his surprise with a raised eyebrow. He put his hands in his pockets and looked knowingly at her. She surveyed the pale boy, trying to keep her face unreadable.

"Excellent," he said finally, smirking slightly and turning to leave the room.

As he headed up the stairs to his room, Ryan looked smug. Things were going his way. Emily's mum was coming tomorrow? It was so _easy_ – he knew he would win that bet.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **Are Emily's observations about Jody and Bailey correct?  
What memories will Emily's mum's return bring?  
And what will Ryan do to ensure he wins the bet?  
**

 _ **Catch the next chapter on Saturday...**_


	13. 13: Unlucky Numbers

**Hey, guys! Hope you're having a great weekend so far, and thank you so much for reading and for 40 reviews!  
Here's another chapter for you guys.**

 **Today's special mention goes to: 'Trusted Trouble', who has left some lovely reviews recently and who I have enjoyed discussing TDG with! Thank you x**

* * *

 **LAST TIME, ON'** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **When the other kids are at school, Emily hides her precious notebooks in the attic.  
Mike asks her some questions about her past for her file.  
Ryan is pleased to hear that Emily's mum will be visiting the Dumping Ground tomorrow...**

 **Enjoy, guys!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Unlucky Numbers

Emily paced about her small room as the rest of the kids chatted loudly downstairs or played in the garden. She gnawed on her fingernails as she reached one wall and turned to walk the other way. She sighed, dropping her hand and flopping down on the bed. She tugged the hair tie out of her tangled hair, which had dried naturally and ran her hands through her dark curls. She glanced at her bedside table, seeing her notebook there where she had left it. Seeing as she always kept her door closed, Emily assumed no one would come in and intentionally read it. Although…

She picked up the old exercise book and turned to the second last page; she would have to get a new book soon. She rummaged around in her school bag for a pen that still worked; Emily began to write her latest entry as Lara.

 _Lara Mills paced around her room until she was sure she would wear the carpet out. She now had moved into the box room, as the twins would be returning to the Care Home. She was confused, and wasn't sure what to expect the next day, because her mum was coming to The Dumping Ground._

 _Lara hadn't seen her mum since she was seven, and now suddenly she would see her tomorrow! Lara had agreed to a bet with Lewis that she would be out shopping with her mum on Saturday, though Lara reckoned she would be doing it. For a week of chores, well, it might be worth it… Lara would just have to see what would happen tomorrow, and she'd win the bet if she didn't agree to the typical shopping trip with her mother whom she hadn't seen in six years. Would she really go on some shopping spree with that woman? Yeah, like that was happen._

There was a knock on the door. Emily closed her notebook quickly and shoved it in the drawer.

"Yeah?" she asked as the door handle turned. Jody opened the door and poked her head into the room.

"Hey," she said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Emily replied. The shorter girl came in and sat next to her on the bed. She had changed out of her school uniform into a simple grey t-shirt and jeans.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

Emily sighed. "Yeah," she replied, "But my mum's coming tomorrow."

"Here? Really?" Jody questioned. "Why's that, then?"

"Social Services got in contact with her after I was taken into care," Emily explained, "And, well, she wanted to see me."

"So, you haven't seen her in a while?" Jody asked; her brow furrowed.

"No, she and dad split up ages ago," she answered. She hesitated. "It's sort of private information."

"I get that," Jody said, giving her a smile, "I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Jodes," Emily said, adopting the friendly nickname. Jody reached round to give Emily a hug, and Emily was glad that she had finally made a new friend.

"Well, Mike said dinner will be ready soon," Jody said, "Want to come outside and play football?"

"OK," Emily agreed, smiling. The two of them stood up. Then Emily smirked. "With Bailey?" she said meaningfully.

Jody frowned. "Why is everyone going on about that?"

"Everyone?" Emily questioned, smirking, as they left her small room and went downstairs.

"Well, Tyler, and now you," Jody grumbled as they went through the living room.

Most of the kids had changed out of their school uniform, and were hanging out in the lounge. Tee and Johnny were playing a game of pool, wearing a pink jumper and patterned skirt and t-shirt and jeans respectively, and Ryan was leaning against the back of the sofa wearing a stone-washed grey shirt and black jeans, watching with a slight sour look as the brother and sister laughed together. Carmen was sitting on the sofa, filling her nails and Floss was pestering her to paint her nails. Emily assumed the other kids were outside.

"No, Floss, you're not even allowed nail varnish at school," Carmen whined, trying to get the younger girl to leave her alone.

"So not fair!" Floss yelled, getting up and storming out of the room.

Ryan noticed Emily as she and Jody passed him. Tee gave her a smile which she returned as Johnny potted a red ball. Ryan glanced up with a searching look, but Emily followed Jody through the kitchen and outside.

Jody convinced Bailey to explain the basic rules of football to Emily, and show her how to control the ball. When she thought she had grasped it, they played for a little while and Tyler joined in. Harry and Finn tossed Mischief a ball on the other side of the garden, but Emily tried to ignore the black and white dog.

"You've got to have more control," Bailey advised as Emily travelled with the ball and awkwardly passed it to Jody. "Hey, Tyler!" Bailey yelled as he ran up the pitch, but Jody was too quick, dodging past Tyler and scoring a goal. Jody let out a loud whoop and ran to Emily, and they high-fived excitedly. Bailey looked disappointed, but Emily noticed his look held a little admiration for the shorter girl. Emily hid a smile as Jody clapped her on the back.

"Another game," Bailey ordered, wanting to beat Jody this time.

"OK," Jody agreed, folding her arms, "Properly, this time. Me and Emily verses you and Tyler." She looked deadly serious, and Emily swallowed.

"But he's rubbish," Bailey complained.

"Hey!" Tyler protested.

"Just play," Jody said, passing him the ball.

The game ensued, and Johnny, Tee and Ryan came outside, followed by the other kids who gathered to watch. Emily concentrated on the ball, recalling what Jody and Bailey had taught her just half an hour ago. Bailey scored once, and Jody looked annoyed. Emily touched Jody's shoulder encouragingly and they continued. Jody scored the second goal so it was one-all. The two teams sized each other up as they passed each other on the pitch. Floss had brought out a whiteboard and had drawn a stick-man and woman, keeping a tally of the points. Harry and Finn kept a hold of Mischief's collar from the top of the garden where they were all watching the game.

The other kids were cheering for their preferred team. Johnny and Ryan had gone for Emily's team, and also cheering on the girls were Mo, Floss and Tee. Harry and Finn cheered on Bailey and Tyler, along with Carmen and Kazima, but the shouts of "Come on, Emily!" and "Go on, Jody!" and excited shouts drowned out any encouragement for Bailey's team. May-Li had come into the garden, having heard the noise and smiled in surprise as she saw Emily and Jody taking on Bailey and Tyler at football.

Emily ran past Bailey, trying to travel further down the pitch, when he shoved her with his shoulder, easily taking the ball of her and taking it up the other side of the grass. This caused Emily to stumble and almost fall flat on her face. Dropping to her knees, she quickly pushed herself back up.

"Bailey!" Ryan and Johnny protested in unison. They exchanged a glance; Ryan looked peeved and Johnny looked slightly affronted. They quickly looked back to Emily.

"I'm fine!" Emily announced as running back into position.

"Um, dinner is ready!" Mike yelled over the noise, having emerged from the kitchen. Everyone stopped the chatter and looked from Mike to the players on the pitch.

"All right, time out!" May-Li yelled, much to the protests of the kids. "Well, it's one-all," she considered, "You could make it best of three, shouldn't take too long."

Mike agreed, and Tee put a five-minute timer on her phone. May-Li eagerly rushed onto to pitch to act as a referee, and the game continued.

Emily would have argued the teams were evenly matched, but even she had gained more skill than Tyler in one coaching session. Tyler was a poor defender and Bailey kept getting irritated with him. That moment of distraction allowed Jody to swiftly pass Emily the ball. The shouts escalated as Emily aimed for the goal and, inhaling sharply, she kicked the ball.

Everything went into slow motion as the ball sailed through the air and bailey went to dive for it. Emily panted as she watched the ball sail cleanly through the posts and land in the back of the net. She was stunned for a moment. There was a second of silence, before half of the kids erupted in a tumult of thrilled shouts and yells. Emily's eyes widened as Jody smacked into her and threw her arms about her. Jody was laughing with glee and Emily hugged her back, glancing up at the rest of the kids.

"Ha! We won!" she shouted, letting go of Emily and throwing both hands up in the air. She grabbed Emily's hand and stuck it in the air. Emily grinned as everyone cheered for her. Tyler looked a bit annoyed, but clapped Emily on the shoulder.

"You did well!" he yelled over the noise, giving her a smile anyway.

"Looks like you followed my instructions," Bailey grumbled. Jody gave him a slap on the shoulder and he grinned reluctantly at her beaming face. Emily smiled at him.

"Well, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even know how to play," she said, offering him her hand. Bailey shook it. Ryan's eye twitched.

The other kids ran down onto the pitch and Emily exchanged high-fives and grins with pretty much everyone. Mike congratulated her and May-Li gave her a hug. Johnny clapped her on the shoulder and she hugged him impulsively. She turned to Ryan, who had joined the rest of them but stood on the outside of the group.

"Hey, maybe you should play next time," she suggested with a completely straight face.

"OK, yer on," he agreed, hiding a smirk.

Emily laughed lightly, touching his arm in a friendly way. He clasped her shoulder in the same fashion and they exchanged a smile before Mike called everyone in for dinner.

The only talk of dinner was the football game.

"We should build girls and boys teams," Tee suggested.

"It wouldn't be so hard beating yew," Ryan said snidely. Johnny glanced at him, so he added, "Especially with Bailey and Johnny on our team."

Tee rolled her eyes, and Johnny carefully jumped in. "We'd better organise something before I leave, then."

Everyone agreed, and once dinner was finished, Emily headed up to her room, but Mike caught her arm in the hallway. She turned to look at him and he smiled at her.

"You did well today," he said. She looked a bit confused, so he continued. "I don't just mean in the football game. The things you told me earlier today, well, it was very mature of you." Emily nodded. "And it's good to see you fitting in here." Emily gave him a small smile, muttered a "thanks", before going to her room and recording the events of the afternoon in her notebook, under Lara's name, of course.

* * *

 **(Just imagine the camera panning round each character)**

Ryan awoke the next morning and stretched his arms high above his head. He wore a crumpled grey pyjama top with red plaid pyjama trousers and his short hair was dishevelled from sleep. He rubbed his face and yawned. Throwing off the covers he went to his en suite bathroom before getting dressed for school.

Jody impatiently dragged a brush through her long hair before scraping it back into her customary ponytail. She was already clad in her uniform, having remembered her tie this time. She pulled on her socks and exchanged a glance with her reflection in the mirror before heading downstairs.

May-Li was already dressed and downstairs making sure everyone's lunch had been prepared. She made herself a cup of tea and waited for Mike to arrive at work. A handful of the kids were ready for school and were eating their breakfast in the kitchen. May-Li arranged the sandwiches on the worktop for the kids to take before they left for school.

Emily waited for the kids the leave before going downstairs. She dressed in her blue jeans, black vest and mother's old white long-sleeved top that she had worn a couple of days ago. She brushed her hair and took a deep breath. Today was the day.

"Hey, good luck, today," Jody said, poking her head round the door before she left for school. Emily mumbled a 'thanks' before venturing out of her room. She descended the stairs and met Ryan in the hall.

"Fancy upping the stakes?" he asked casually.

"Sure," Emily replied easily, knowing full well that she would win. There was no way she would go shopping with her mum after everything that had happened.

"OK," Ryan said with a straight face, eyeing her.

"You can be my slave for the week you do my chores," Emily said before he could think of something.

"A'right," he agreed, "Same goes for you, then."

"Deal," she said, and they shook on it. Mike ushered the remaining kids through the door for school, and the two of them parted, exchanging a last glance.

Emily managed a little breakfast, but she didn't have an appetite, so put off lunch as well. Mike had returned and informed Emily that her mum would be coming at two o'clock that afternoon. Emily sat in the living room staring at the floor for at least two hours, watching the clock sluggishly count the minutes. It reached two o'clock and Emily still hadn't eaten lunch yet. May-Li came in with a sandwich, which Emily nibbled at nervously as the clock ticked past the hour. Mike was waiting in the office and came out into the hall.

"She should be here by now," he muttered to himself. Emily stood up and went over to him.

"What's taking her so long?" she wondered aloud. "Mum was always on time for appointments…"

"Well, we'll just have to see," Mike said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she's just held up in traffic."

 _Unless she doesn't really want to see me,_ Emily thought to herself.

"Why don't you wait in the quiet room until your mum arrives?" he suggested, so Emily went through to the room adjoining the office and slumped down on the sofa. There was a clock on the desk in there, and Emily stared at it until her eyes hurt. How slow could the time go? She glanced away and sighed. After what felt like a few minutes later, she looked back at the time, to find it had been nearly half an hour.

"I'm sorry, Emily," Mike said, opening the door and stepping into the room.

Emily put her head in her hands. Then she heard a knock at the door. Her head snapped up, and Mike rushed to answer it. Emily stood up and straightened her top.

A woman with long blond hair in her thirties came through the door. She wore red heels, a black dress and pink blazer. She wore a lot of make-up, sparkly earrings and carried a large handbag on her arm. Mike introduced himself and showed her through to the quiet room. She stopped, staring at Emily.

"Mum?" Emily mumbled.

The woman came forward, dropping her handbag on the sofa and clasping her daughter in a tight embrace. Emily breathed in the scent of expensive perfume as she hugged back in slight surprise. Her mum released her and took hold of her shoulders, looking her up and down. Emily blinked.

"My, my, haven't you grown up?" her mum gushed.

"You-you came?" Emily got out.

"Of course, darling!" she exclaimed, "Traffic was absolute murder, darling! And I had to ask for directions to this place, twice."

"Sorry, mum," Emily said, hugging her again, "I'm just so glad you actually came."

"Why wouldn't I, hmm?" her mother questioned, brushing her fake blond hair out of her face. "Well, as soon as I heard you'd been taken into care…"

"Would you like to sit down?" Mike asked, gesturing to the sofa. He motioned for Emily to sit on the sofa opposite, next to him.

"Mum, I don't get it," Emily admitted, "Why now? Just because I wasn't living with Dad anymore-"

"I always knew he wouldn't be able to cope without me," she said arrogantly, straightening her short black dress.

"Funny, that," Emily muttered. "So, what have you been up to?" she asked, brightening her tone.

"Well," her mum babbled, "I've got a new job, isn't that exciting?" Neither Mike nor Emily replied. "And it's really well paid, too, so I can spend all I want on myself, and you, of course, darling."

"If you wanted to spend money on me, why did you stop sending my birthday presents?" Emily asked.

"I didn't," her mum said indignantly, "I've sent you gifts every year since I split up with your father."

"OK," Emily said slowly, sensing that her mum was telling the truth.

"Do you still have that iPod I gave you?" she asked. "Not been stolen, has it?" Her voice took on a slight sour tone and Mike looked unimpressed.

"No, don't be silly," Emily said, copying her mum's usual frivolous tone of voice. "I still listen to music on it."

Her mum nodded, looking pleased. She leaned forward slightly, noticing Emily's clothes. "Is that mine?" she asked incredulously.

"Um, yeah," Emily rambled, "Figured you didn't need it anymore."

"It looks amazing on you, darling," her mum replied, laying a hand on her daughter's knee. Emily sighed inwardly, "And those boots, I thought _I_ would never wear them, but they really suit you!"

Emily nodded, not sure how to take that last comment. "I took most of your old stuff when I came to live here," she explained, "I didn't think you'd mind, and… to be honest, I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."

"Oh, darling," her mother said melodramatically, "I would never do that to you; don't you remember what I wrote in your last birthday card?"

"It must have gotten lost in the post," Emily said slowly, feeling suspicious.

"Well, darling, I put my new address," her mum explained, "Now that I'd got my own place; I wanted you to visit me."

Emily's eyes widened. "Well, if I'd known-"

"Well, it can still happen, can't it?" her mum pressed, clasping Emily's hand, "Now that you're not living with your father anymore." She looked at Mike.

"We'll have to see," he said evasively.

Emily nodded and smiled.

"Where is your father just now, anyway?" her mother asked.

"Mr Anderson is staying at a residential support centre for alcoholics," Mike explained quietly, and Emily's mum looked away in distaste.

Mike glanced at his watch. "I've got to get the kids from school," he said, getting up. He poked his head around the door to call May-Li. "My colleague will come and sit with you."

"OK," Emily agreed. Mike left the room and May-Li entered, closing the door behind her.

"Hi, I'm May-Li," the Asian woman introduced herself, shaking hands with the overly made-up blond woman. She sat down next to Emily.

"Mum, there's one thing I just don't get," she began, her tone sounding dangerous. "Why did you leave us in the first place?"

"I had to, my darling," she said, "It was absolutely suffocating at home with your father."

"What does that even _mean_?" Emily snapped, "Did I mean nothing to you?" Her voice rose several octaves and she clenched her fists.

Ryan slunk through the doorway, having speed-walked back to Ashdene Ridge, eager to see if Emily's mum was still there. Plus, he would win the bet, no matter what. It was an excellent deal he had made, having a personal slave for a week – great idea from Emily, he thought.

"Darling, it wasn't like that," her mum tried to explain.

"Oh, so it was because of the affair, then?" Emily said bluntly.

Her mum's gaze hardened. "We'd agreed to say nothing about that."

"I was seven years old," Emily emphasised, "In fact, I'm not surprised that I know all about it. She was bluffing slightly, but continued. "You didn't do a great job of hiding your fights with dad from your only daughter." Her cutting reply clearly had an effect on her mother.

Ryan went into the kitchen to find Johnny making some mugs of tea. He placed them on a tray along with a plate of biscuits. He smiled at Ryan when he walked in.

"That for Emily and her mum?" he asked casually.

"Yeah," Johnny replied.

"Ehm, I'll take it," Ryan said, quickly grabbing the tray, "I'm sure yew've got better things to do."

"Oh, OK," Johnny said, looking surprised and slightly disappointed.

"Cheers," Ryan muttered, carefully carrying the tray through the living room, pausing in the hall.

"Emily," May-Li said quietly, laying a hand on her arm.

"I still love you, Emily," her mum insisted, "Even if you don't believe it."

"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it," Emily half-shouted, agitated. "I can't believe you!"

May-Li tugged Emily arm, murmuring, "Let's go into the office for a moment." She got Emily to stand up and looked at her mother. "We'll just be a minute. One of the boys should be bringing some tea in for you soon." Emily's mother nodded in agreement. May-Li took Emily through to the office.

"I think you shouldn't be so hard on her," she began, holding up a hand as Emily opened her mouth to speak. "It's the first time you've seen her in a long time, so you're bound to be angry and upset with her."

Emily sighed.

Ryan balanced the tray on his knee as he opened the door to the quiet room. He pushed the door open further with his back and turned to place the tea tray on the table. He took in Emily's mum in a nanosecond, assessing her before speaking.

"Ehm, brought some tea for yeh," he said, smiling innocently. "Yer Emily's mum, then?"

"Yes, that's right," she said. "And you are?"

"I'm Ryan," he replied easily, straightening up and clasping his hands behind his back. He was still wearing his school uniform, but had adjusted his tie before taking the tea through. "I live here, and Emily and I get on really well." So, that was a slight exaggeration on his part.

The woman nodded. "You must know Emily better than I do, in that case." She looked a little saddened by this.

"Well, yeh," Ryan said modestly, "Y'know, I've got a good idea for yew to make it up to her." Stage one of his plan was underway.

"Really?" she said eagerly. Ryan hid a smirk. It was all too easy.

"Yeh, I think yew should take Emily out shoppin'," he said, "Yeh know, since it's been a long time since yew two had some real girl time." He cringed slightly as he said this, but felt it was necessary in order to bring her round to the idea.

"That is a fabulous idea!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Do you think it will be allowed?"

"Sure," he said easily, "If Emily agrees, Mike's sure to make certain it'll happen."

"Well, thank you very much. Ryan, isn't it?"

Ryan nodded.

"Well, I'll just leave yeh to it," he said, backing out of the room and closing the door. He smirked to himself and sauntered up the hall. Emily glanced at Ryan as he passed the window of the office, a smug look on his face. Her gaze hardened as she just _knew_ he had spoken to her mother. She stalked back into the quiet room and sat down opposite her mother.

"That Ryan boy is rather lovely," her mum said.

"You think so?" May-Li said, hiding her slight disbelief.

"Well, it's been nice seeing you again," Emily said, deciding to try to be nice to her mother. She was the only mum she had, after all.

May-Li caught Mike's eye as he returned, coming through the front door after the rest of the kids piled in. He went into the office and returned May-Li's nod through the glass.

"Well, before I go," her mum said, "I've got something for you." She fished in her handbag and removed a small box, presenting it to Emily.

Opening the small pink box, she found a gold necklace. It had a thin chain and a small gold heart with her name engraved in loopy writing. She sighed, knowing that her mother was trying to make it up to her. She put on a smile and simply said, "Thanks, mum, I love it."

"I knew you would!" her mum gushed, leaning forward to hug her again. Emily awkwardly hugged her mother back. "Now, if I can just speak to Mr Milligan before I go…"

"We should say goodbye now," she said, "I don't want to do it in front of all the kids."

Emily stood up to say goodbye to her mother.

"Goodbye, my darling," she said in agreement, embracing her daughter again.

"Bye, mum," she replied, adding, "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

"Of course, darling," she said, and May-Li showed her through to the office. Emily sat back down on the sofa and Ma-Li sat next to her. Emily's shoulders drooped as she started at the offending piece of jewellery. May-Li put an arm around her.

"You OK?" she asked quietly.

"I guess," Emily said, "I'm glad you told me to be nice. There's no point in taking all my anger out on her, anyway." May-Li nodded.

After speaking to Mike, Emily's mum waved at her through the window, and Emily returned the gesture. The front door swung shut. Emily sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"You're excused from chores, today, OK?" May-Li said kindly, giving her shoulders a squeeze before leaving the room. A few moments later, Ryan entered. Emily put her head in her hands and refused to look at him.

"Yew a'right?" he asked, sitting next to her. "What's the bling?"

"Just some present to say 'sorry for not seeing you for six years'," Emily grumbled.

"Hey, what's that?" he questioned, pointing to a scrap of paper that was visible under the sponge in the box that kept the necklace in place. Emily looked up, pulling the paper out and placing the box next to her on the sofa. Written on it in her mum's handwriting were two phone numbers – one for a mobile and one for a landline.

"Looks like she wants you to call her," he suggested casually. "Yew should, y'know," he added.

She shot him a glare. "I know what you did," she said bluntly, snatching up the box and leaving the room.

Ryan sighed, staring after her. He set his jaw. The most important thing here was the bet, he reminded himself. Not some girl.

Emily ran up to her room and stayed there for some time. She stared at the piece of paper until the numbers blurred. She flopped back on her bed, staring at a small spot on the otherwise white ceiling. Should she call her? It would be cruel not to, but her mum was the cruel one, not really bothering to keep in contact with her daughter for nearly six years. Emily was at a crossroads. The way she saw it, she could either; phone her mum and establish a functioning relationship with the only family member that could physically look after her right now. Or; she could sever all contact with her mother, meaning she would be stuck in care even longer.

After what had been a couple of hours of being alone, Emily hadn't been called for dinner yet. So, Emily made a decision. She got up, paper in hand, and headed for Ryan's room. She declined knocking and instead pretty much flung the door open. He was lying sprawled on his bed, reading a magazine. He glanced up at her with an affronted look.

"Haven't yeh ever heard of knockin'?" he asked exasperatedly.

"I'm going to call her," Emily said bluntly, closing the door behind her and coming further into the room.

"Told yeh," Ryan muttered. "Well, go on, then."

"I haven't got a phone," Emily said through clenched teeth.

"Ah, yeh'd better borrow mine, then," he said, taking a sleek black phone out of his jeans pocket and handing it to her. Emily looked at the piece of paper with the two numbers.

"Which one should I call?" she wondered. Ryan snatched his phone back, taking the piece of paper and dialling the mobile number.

"She's most likely to have her mobile on her," he considered, handing back the phone. Emily put it to her ear, heart pounding, listening to dial tone. Ryan looked knowingly at her and began to smirk. Emily's other hand shook, tapping agitatedly against her thigh. She tried to take deep breaths as the phone rang out. Would she even get an answer?

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...  
**

 **Will Emily get an answer and will it be from her mum?  
Can Ryan ensure he will win the bet?  
What impact will the return of the twins have on the Dumping Ground?**

 **Expect the next chapter before Wednesday, guys...**

 **P.S. Are you guys liking Bailey and Jody's relationship? Also, who do you guys 'ship' on TDG?**


	14. 14: Movie Night

**Hey, guys! Thanks so much for your continued support! Here's an early update for you :)  
**

 **I've had a reply from the administrator to say that the rest of the characters have been added to The Dumping Ground character list - so be sure to add relevant characters as main characters in any of your fics, so they can be used in searching for fan fiction. Also let any other authors that write for TDG know this!**

 **Thank you to 'x snow-pony x' for pointing out that I'd been spelling May-Li as Mai-Li this whole time! But, hey, at least I was consistent ;) I have gone through the whole story and corrected it now.**

 **Today's special mention goes to: 'doodledreamer' who left some lovely reviews recently – thank you!**

 **LAST TIME, ON '** _ **GOING HOME**_ **'...**

 **Emily's mum finally comes to visit.** **  
 **Ryan cleverly puts things in motion to ensure he wins the bet.**  
 **Emily agrees to phone her mother, but who will answer?****

 **Enjoy, guys!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Movie Night**

Emily's breath shook as she listened to the dial tone. She began to pace about nervously, watching Ryan watching her. He supressed a smirk as his plan progressed. Emily clenched and unclenched her free hand, waiting for someone to answer the phone. She'd come this far – she couldn't back out now, even if it meant losing the bet.

"Hello?" a deep male voice answered. Emily jumped.

"Um, hello?" she stammered, her voice trembling.

"Who's speaking, please?" the man asked. Emily began to well up, wondering if she'd got the wrong number. "Did you want to speak to Deliah?" A hundred possibilities sprung up in the girl's head. Was this man her mum's brother? A friend? Her new _husband_? Emily choked a little on the last one.

"It's a girl, want to speak to her?" she heard the man ask someone in the background. Suddenly Emily ended the call and threw down the phone on the bed. Ryan snatched it up as Emily sank down on the end of the bed.

Her breathing quickened and she put a hand to her chest. She felt all hot and cold at the same time and blinked, her vision failing her. Tears formed in her eyes and tried to escape. Ryan saw all this and his eyes widened. He grabbed her hand and rubbed her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down.

"Emily, are yew a'right?" he asked in concern, a hint of fright coming into his voice.

Emily shook her head vigorously, trying to form words. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she bowed her head in embarrassment. It felt like there was an icy hand inside her ribcage, wrapped tightly around her heart and squeezing it tightly. She tried to breathe.

"D'yeh want me to get help?" Ryan questioned, moving closer to her and putting an arm around her. She shook in his grip, shaking her head again. "Hey, it's okey," he murmured as she began to calm down.

Emily closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, her body relaxing. She scrubbed the tears away, feeling a bit ridiculous for making such a seen. She stole a glance at the boy she had caused inconvenience for and looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"What're yeh sorry about?" he asked, removing his arm from around her and sounding confused. He looked at his hands. "D'yeh… have panic attacks a lot, then?"

"Panic attacks?" Emily repeated dumbly.

"Um… yeh," Ryan said. "Caused by anxiety?"

"Is that what they are?" Emily wondered, still avoiding his eyes. "Don't tell Mike, or May-Li," she said quickly.

"'Course not," he agreed, "It's actually not that serious, if yew can get control of it."

"Really?" Emily asked in surprise, looking at him. "Could you help?" she asked shyly.

Ryan sighed. "Ehm, a'right," he conceded, looking defeated. "It was kind of me own fault this time."

"Yeah, it kind of was," Emily said jokingly, sniffing.

"Y'know when yeh first arrived," he began, "That thing with the dog, and yeh fainted?"

Emily nodded.

"That was probably a panic attack," he finished. He moved himself back to sit cross-legged against his headboard.

"Right," Emily said slowly. "Yeah, that has happened before; at school once, and a few other times."

"D'yeh remember the first time it happened?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Do you remember when you became a psychiatrist?" Emily responded swiftly. She hid a smile. "So, how d'you know so much about all this stuff?"

Ryan's gaze hardened and he turned his phone over in his hands, not meeting her eyes.

"Y'know what?" he said suddenly, "I think it's time for dinner." He turned off his phone and left it on his bedside table, ushering Emily out of the room, following her. Emily straightened her clothes and tried her best to tidy her hair. "Yeh look fine," Ryan carelessly assured her, going quickly down the stairs and into the living room.

"Hey, Emily," Jody said as she entered. The shorter girl stood up, flicking her long pony-tail over her shoulder.

"Hey, Jody," Emily replied tiredly.

"Heard your mum was here earlier," Jody said casually, "How was that, then?"

"Um, weird," Emily muttered, smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah, I bet," Jody said with empathy. "Y'know, I haven't seen my mum in a while, either." She jerked her head towards the sofa, and Emily followed her and sat down.

"Oh, really?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her shoulder. "Was she a disappointment too?" Jody looked at her. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's OK," Jody said, "You're not wrong, though." Emily nodded.

Ryan leaned on the pool table as Johnny and Bailey had a game. He twisted round to see Jody and Emily talking. Tee and Carmen came into the living room. Tee gave Emily a friendly smile as Carmen walked purposefully towards her.

"So, your mum looks pretty well off," she said. "She was certainly dressed well."

"So what if she is?" Emily defended, ignoring the follow-up supposed compliment.

"Well, why can't _she_ look after you, then?" Carmen demanded. Tee put a hand on her arm, but Carmen shook her off. Emily stood up, having lost all patience with this girl.

"Life is full of disappointments," Emily drawled, noticing that everyone had stopped to look at her in silence. Floss, Harry and Finn ran in from the kitchen, stopping as they took in the quietness of everyone else.

"Anoth-ah show down?" Floss said loudly, sounding pleased. She carefully closed the door so that the care workers wouldn't hear.

"Stay out of this, Floss," Carmen almost-yelled.

"Aw, good at keeping friends, aren't we?" Emily teased. She then took on a serious tone. "Not that it's any of your business what's going on between me and my _mother_ ," she began, "But there's a reason I'm here and I'm not about to go swanning off with the first family member I find just because _you don't like me_." She made a wide sweeping gesture with her hand in her annoyance, pointing threateningly at Carmen.

"Well, at least she wants to see you!" the older girl retorted, a little shrilly.

"Ah, so this is about your _own_ insecurities, I see," Emily replied casually, tilting her head back. "I don't need any more, so kindly keep them to yourself." She folded her arms, hearing appreciative utterances from some of the kids.

"I can't wait to see the back of you," Carmen spat. "You think you're so incredible, putting on this whole show of being this pitiful kid who's never been in care before. I bet it's all lies. No wonder your mum doesn't want you."

Emily set her jaw, clenching her fists and trying not to react to Carmen's accusations. Tee took a hold of Carmen's wrist, trying to stop another fight breaking out. Jody caught the blond girl's look and grabbed Emily's arm. Emily exhaled sharply.

"I never even said that," she muttered, shaking her head. Then she had an idea. "I hope you don't have another party this weekend," she said, eyes narrowed, "I'm sure after hearing about this, Mike would never let you go… for the next few weeks, I'd imagine."

"Little snitch are you?" Carmen asked, taking a step back and trying to get Tee to let go of her.

"I don't have to be, so why don't you just leave me alone," she said simply. "I didn't even steal your bracelet." She eyed her ripped denim jacket that had fallen off the back of the sofa a couple of days ago. She seized the opportunity. "Replace my jacket that you ripped, and we'll call it quits."

"Or what?" Carmen sneered.

"Or… I can just tell Mike and May-Li all about what you've been saying to me," Emily pointed out, "And it looks like I've got at least ten people who'll back me up."

"Yeah, let's just stop all the fighting," Tyler put in. "It's just getting silly now."

"Carmen, Mike said you have to replace the jacket anyway," Tee murmured.

"Aw, but it was fun!" Floss protested, and Harry laughed.

"I think we've come to an agreement," said Kaz.

"Fine," Carmen said grudgingly.

"OK," Emily said mildly.

"Well done," said Mo, coming over and patting her on the arm. Jody had let go of her, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Disaster averted," Ryan said, raising an eyebrow at Bailey and Johnny. Johnny breathed a sigh of relief, not eager to see two of his friends thrash it out again.

"Dinner!" May-Li called from the kitchen. Exchanging glances with each other, the kids traipsed through to the doors.

Dinner was sausage and mash, and Tyler managed to eat more sausages than Emily had ever seen someone eat in her life. The food was nice, though Emily only managed a small portion. No one mentioned the words that had been exchanged in the living room. The kids chatted pleasantly, though the atmosphere at the table was a little subdued.

As the table was cleared, the kids were enlisted to do their chores. Emily insisted on helping clear the table before being sent away with a few of the other kids who had done their share of the chores before school. Ryan had sneaked back to his room. He turned on his phone, to find a missed call from the mum's mobile number, from minutes after Emily had tried to phone her mum. Smirking, he flopped down on his bed and picked up his skating magazine. He waited for his phone to ring. And, at length, it did.

"Hello?" Ryan answered.

"Um, who is this?" asked the voice that he recognised as Emily's mum. "Is Emily there?"

"Ehm, not at the moment," Ryan replied, stealing a glance towards the door. "It's Ryan, I spoke to yew before. I let Emily call from me phone."

"Ah, yes," she said. "Would I be able to speak to her at all?"

"Ehm, I don't think so," Ryan said evasively. "Did ch' ask Mike about what we talked about?"

"Yes, of course, darling," she said, adopting the term of endearment. He had, of course, the way she saw it, helped her grow closer to Emily. "He said he would ask her. Do you think she'll come?"

"'Course," he replied easily, "She'll love it." He looked uneasy but didn't let it show in his voice.

"Well, I've got go now," Emily mum replied, "I won't bother you again. Hopefully I'll see Emily on Saturday. I'll have to buy Emily a phone!" she laughed. He imagined her clapping her hands together in delight, if she wasn't holding the phone to her ear, of course.

"Well, I'll talk t'yeh soon," said Ryan.

"OK, bye!" she replied cheerfully and hanging up. Ryan leaned back on his bed and smiled to himself. The way he saw it, he was doing Emily a favour; she would get loads of new stuff if – _when_ , he corrected himself – she went out with her mum. He'd bet her that she would be out shopping with her mum this weekend, following her meeting with her. He knew it would happen; he'd seen situations like this before and liked to think of himself as a good judge of character. He would win. He had to, even if Emily didn't want to see her mum again.

* * *

The next day was an INSET day for a number of the Dumping Ground kids. Harry, Finn and Floss had to go to school, though, so they were downstairs getting ready as the rest of the kids enjoyed a lie in. Emily emerged from her room and quickly went to the bathroom, finding it empty. Figuring there wouldn't be a schedule for the kids who didn't have to go to school, so Emily had a quick shower. She exited the bathroom in her dressing gown and her hair in a towel. Tee passed her in the corridor, smiling at her.

"I'm glad you and Carmen have made up," she said. Emily stopped and turned to face her.

"Is that what she said?" she wondered aloud, then added, "I'm just glad we can stop fighting." This was rather honest of her. If Carmen would just leave her alone, maybe she could actually start looking well-behaved. Tee nodded, turning and going into the bathroom.

Emily continued down the corridor. She went back to her room to get dressed, selecting black jeans and the black and white striped shirt. The horizontal stripes were quite wide and Emily buttoned it all the way up, leaving just the top button undone. She rubbed her hair roughly with the towel and hung the towel on the door handle of her wardrobe. She looked about the small room and decided that it would probably be best to pick up the crumpled clothes from the floor at some point, but she declined to do it now. She went out of the room, closing the door behind her. She heard the front door slam shut as Mike took the younger kids to school.

Going down the corridor and coming to the door that she recognised as Jody's, Emily knocked on the door.

"Go away;" came the sleepy reply.

"It's Emily, can I come in?" she called.

"Yeah, good luck with that!" Tyler laughed as he passed her. "Jody needs her beauty sleep," he joked. Emily rolled her eyes, and once Tyler had gone from sight, she opened the door and went in.

Jody looked up, squinting at her. She stretched out an arm lazily, pointing behind Emily. Her long brown hair was down and was spread out around her. She looked tired, but didn't tell Emily to leave.

"Aw'right," she mumbled, "Close the door, though." She dropped her hand and snuggled up under her duvet. Emily went and sat down on the bed. Jody peered at her with one eye. "What's up?"

"Well, you know my mum came yesterday," Emily began, and Jody responded with a nod. "I think... I think she's going to ask me out shopping this weekend."

"Aw, well that sounds fun," Jody considered, pushing her long hair out of her face, "At least she wants to see you."

"Doesn't your mum want to see you?" Emily asked with concern.

"Nah, she's still kind of mad at me for snitching on Kingsley," she explained. Noting Emily's look of confusion, she added, "My brother; he's in prison."

Emily's eyes widened and she gave a nod.

"I know," Jody said with a laugh, "Weren't expecting that, were ya?"

Emily chuckled. "Well, thanks for telling me." She gave a small smile.

"Oh, it's no big deal," the shorter girl brushed it off, "Most of the kids here know. It was a while ago now." She looked thoughtful and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Then she looked at Emily. "I mean it though," Jody said seriously, "Don't throw away this opportunity just because of what ya mum did in the past."

Emily nodded slowly. "OK," she murmured, looking uneasy. It was only fair to her mum, but it would mean losing the bet.

"What's the matter?" Jody asked, sitting up.

"Um, nothing," she muttered, looking at the floor. She huffed, standing up moving to leave.

"Emily!" Jody demanded; holding out a hand as Emily left the room.

"I'm going to grab some breakfast," Emily called over her shoulder. Jody rolled her eyes and flopped back down, staring at the ceiling.

Emily closed Jody's door behind her to see Ryan leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He pushed off from the wall and sauntered past with a smug look. Emily's eyes widened as she watched him move past her.

"Made yer decision?" he said acidly, raising an eyebrow as he turned back to going down the corridor.

When he had gone, Emily exhaled sharply and put a hand to her face. She then hurried down the corridor in the opposite direction. Closing the door behind her she collapsed on her bed and reached into the drawer in the bedside table for the photograph. It had been taken about eight years ago and was just bigger than her hand. Emily stared at the smiling faces; her mum, her dad, and a beaming five year old: herself. She had kept the photo in her notebooks for years. She rubbed at her eyes and shoved it angrily back in the drawer.

It wasn't about some stupid bet. She couldn't say 'no' to her mother, not now. Picking up the little box with the necklace in it, she flung it across the room. Trust Mum to buy her off with something, to try and smooth things over; make her think everything was all right again. Well, it wouldn't work, but she did want to see her mum again... and it wouldn't hurt to get some new stuff. Who cares what Ryan said, even if he predicted – and pretty much ensured – that this would happen?

Emily decided to go down for breakfast. Tee, Ryan, Tyler and Mo were already eating breakfast. Emily grabbed a bowl and poured herself a small helping of cornflakes.

"Johnny's already gone out for a run," Tee explained, and Emily gave a nod.

"If you were looking for him, that is," Tyler put in with a wink. Tee shook her head, leaving the table to put her dishes in the sink.

Ryan was leaning on the worktop with a half-finished piece of toast in his hand. He glanced at Emily out of the corner of his eye. He was wearing a black t-shirt, a maroon hoodie worn open, with his faded black skinny jeans. He came to sit down opposite her. Emily had finished her cereal and she placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands.

"Look, Ryan," she began, "I don't know what your game is, but I don't care about this stupid bet anymore."

"Ooh," he said provokingly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that 'cos I'm gonna win?"

"Oh, shut up," she said bluntly, getting up and putting her bowl and spoon in the sink. Ryan finished his toast and followed her into the living room. "Go away Ryan," she sighed.

Carmen came through the living room with a magazine in her hand. She was dressed in pink and her hair was damp from her shower. She put the magazine down on the coffee table and raised her eyebrows as she passed the pair of them, going into the kitchen. Jody bounded down the stairs in her customary grey jeans and a blue collared shirt. Bailey came in with Mischief and both Emily and Ryan visibly drew away. Jody laughed and went to stroke Mischief's furry head. Bailey and Jody exchanged a grin as May-Li walked in from the office. Ryan and Emily looked at each other; Ryan with a raised eyebrow, and Emily hid a smile with her hand.

"Ehm, not in 'ere, please," she demanded, gesturing towards the kitchen. "Take 'im outside, Bailey."

"Yes, May-Li," he agreed, ushering Mischief through, followed by Jody.

"Oh, Emily," said May-Li, "Mike wanted to speak to you about somethin'." She smiled kindly at her.

Emily returned the smile awkwardly. "Oh, right," she muttered, looking once at Ryan before going straight to the office. She went in to find Mike at his desk.

"Ah, Emily," he said, taking off his glasses, "About your mum, she'd like to take your out shopping tomorrow."

Emily nodded, not surprised in the slightest. Someone, of course, had put the idea in her mum's head.

"Is that... all right?" Mike asked, "I'm going to accompany you both, it's part of procedure."

"Yeah, sure," Emily found herself saying.

"Oh," Mike said in surprise, "Excellent. I'll get back to her. Run along, then."

Emily made an awkward face as she left the office. She mentally face-palmed, shaking her head as she went back into the living room. Bailey was at the pool table, trying to convince Ryan to play. Ryan noticed Emily return, and quickly agreed. Bailey tossed him a pool cue and set up the game. Emily went to perch on the back of the sofa, facing the pool table. Ryan looked a little nervous as Jody came through from the kitchen with a handful of sweets.

"Ooh, cool," she said, watching as Bailey took the first shot. She offered the sweets to Emily.

"Where'd you get these?" she asked, taking one and popping it in her mouth.

Jody just put a finger to her lips and said, "Don't tell May-Li."

As the game continued, Ryan looked deadly focussed as he potted a red ball. Emily grinned and watched as Ryan missed one. He looked really disappointed as Bailey laughed, lining up his pool cue. He potted a yellow ball and Jody gave a cheer. Bailey shot her a grin and Ryan rolled his eyes. But Bailey missed the next one and Ryan smirked. Tyler walked in, spying the sweets and quickly snatching one from Jody's hand.

"Aw, want Bailey to win, do you?" he teased, and Jody gave him a slap. "And you must be vouching for Ryan?" he addressed Emily. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Looks like it," she muttered, turning back to the game. Bailey had three more to go, whereas Ryan only had two. But in his next turn, Bailey potted two more so it looked like he was going to win. He gave Jody a high-five as he came round that side of the table.

"Hey, y' haven't won yet!" Ryan complained. Bailey aimed for his last ball but missed. Ryan looked smug and lined up his next shot, potting his last two balls and finally the black one.

"Go Ryan!" Tyler yelled, high-fiving him. Bailey looked annoyed, throwing up both hands. Jody's shoulders slumped and she finished her last sweet as May-Li came in.

"Hey, is Johnny back yet?" she asked.

"Was that my name I heard?" the older boy asked, poking his head around the living room door. "I'm going to have a shower."

"OK," May-Li replied, crossing the living room, mug of tea in hand. She gave Johnny a nod before going into the office.

Johnny came into the living room. "What's been happening when I was out?" he asked, looking amused at the mix of smug and disappointed faces.

"Ryan won," Tyler filled in, patting said boy on the shoulder.

"Nice one," Johnny commended. Ryan nodded with a grin. The older boy turned to the loser of the game, "Better luck next time, eh, Bailey?"

"Yeah, that's funny," Bailey muttered, leaving the room to go outside. Jody and Tyler laughed.

"Well, see you guys in a bit," said Johnny, going upstairs.

"What now?" Jody asked.

They spent the rest of the day hanging out in the living room and doing their chores. They ate sandwiches in the kitchen at lunchtime, and before too long, it was time for the rest of the kids to come home from school. Mike went to collect them in the minibus. Jody flopped down on the sofa next to Emily.

"Shame we don't have more days like this, eh, guys?" she said.

"Yeah, it's nice without all them little kids," Bailey added, sitting on the other sofa next to Ryan and Johnny.

"Oh, well that's nice," said Mo, coming in from the garden. He brushed his hands on his beige trousers.

"Yeah, well, you weren't annoying us," Johnny put in.

"And you're not _that_ little," said Jody.

"OK," Mo said dubiously. "Can I sit here?" he asked, going up to Emily.

"Sure, Mo," Emily said, moving up closer to Jody to make room for the younger boy.

The front door opened and the little kids ran into the living room.

"Mike said we can have a movie night!" Floss declared as she entered. Carmen and Tee had come downstairs and into the living room. Harry and Finn looked excited, and Mike came through with a pair of girls with short light brown hair. They looked about the same age as Floss and the other younger kids.

"Are those the twins?" Emily asked in a hushed voice.

"Yep," Jody replied quietly.

"So, we've got our twins back!" Mike said cheerfully, and the house erupted in cheers. The two girls looked at each other and smiled.

"Aw, come here," said Tee, enveloping the younger girls in a hug.

"Aw," Carmen laughed, rubbing the nearest twin's shoulder.

"Why are you back from your foster placement?" Harry asked. Mike exchanged an uneasy glance with May-Li.

"We didn't like it," Billie said simply, and it wasn't questioned further. After greeting their old friends, the twins turned to Emily. She smiled awkwardly.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"Um, I'm Emily," she said, "I'm new here." The other twin nodded.

"I'm Toni," said the first, sticking out a hand. Emily shook it.

"And I'm Billie," said the other, shaking Emily's hand in turn.

"Well, welcome back," said Emily, smiling.

"Thanks," said Billie, and she and her sister both gave the new girl a smile.

"Well, come on, then, you lot!" said Mike, on his way to the kitchen, "We're having dinner before any movie night."

"Why can't we eat in front of the telly?" Floss demanded, hands on hips.

"Because we said so," said May-Li, copying her. "Come on, now, everyone."

All the kids went through to the kitchen to help with the dinner. They formed an assembly line to make sandwiches and salad. Emily and Ryan set the table as Floss ran back and forth fetching things. Emily didn't say anything to the skinny boy, but she kept thinking about their so-called bet. She had been so certain she would win, but now it looked like she would be Ryan's slave for the following week.

They all sat down to a tea of sandwiches, salad and crisps. The kids discussed the choice of film. They agreed to let the twins decide, though some of them put in some suggestions.

"Frozen," said Floss, and there was a collective groan.

"Aw, no one even likes that," Bailey grumbled.

"Star Wars," Johnny argued, and many of the kids nodded.

"Why not Toy Story?" Tyler put in, "It's a classic!"

"You're such a kid," Jody teased.

The twins looked at each other. Billie whispered something in Toni's ear, who nodded. Tee smiled at them.

"Have you decided?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Toni.

"We want to watch Big Hero Six," said Billie.

Harry and Finn exchanged a high-five, and Floss looked satisfied.

"Cool, well, you're in luck," said Tee, "We've got that one."

"It's a really good one, too," Kaz added.

"Come on, then," said Carmen, getting up, "Might as well turn the place into a cinema."

There was a cheer from the little kids, who rushed from the table to rearrange furniture and close the curtains. The other kids stayed to help clear up, and get some snacks ready for the movie. The twins ran into the living room, followed by Tee who got the TV ready. When everything was in place, everyone traipsed into the living room. The two sofas had been put side by side in front of the telly and the curtains were closed. Emily carried a bowl of popcorn through, followed by Johnny and Ryan who were also carrying the snacks and passed them to the other kids who had quickly sat down in their preferred places.

Emily glanced at Ryan who also struggled for a seat. Floss, Finn, Harry and Mo sat on beanbags on the floor, Johnny sat on the footstool in front of his sister who sat between the twins. Carmen and Kaz had opted for chairs that had been placed behind the sofas, and Tyler perched on the arm of the sofa next to Billie. There was a space just big enough for two next to Jody and Bailey on the far sofa. With a sigh Emily made her way over, followed by Ryan. Emily ended up between Ryan and Jody. Tyler looked over, amused.

"Whehey," he said teasingly, "Check out the Couples' Sofa!"

Bailey shot him a glare and Jody rolled her eyes, whilst Ryan and Emily just looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Let's just watch the movie, shall we?" Toni suggested, exchanging a knowing glance with Billie.

So the movie started and Emily was really enjoying it. The beginning was so sad, but it got really exciting pretty quickly after that. So exciting, in fact; that she didn't notice Ryan casually out his arm across the back of the sofa. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye when she noticed, but he seemed just as absorbed in the movie as the rest of the kids. Emily shifted slightly on the sofa and continued watching, taking a handful of popcorn as it was passed around.

When the movie finished, the curtains were opened and the telly turned off. Emily stretched out her legs and exchanged a grin with Jody. She looked at Ryan, who quickly removed his arm from behind her. Bailey got up and stretched. The kids began to disperse, and Jody and Tyler headed upstairs, followed by Tee, Johnny, Carmen, Kaz and Mo. The little kids talked to the twins for a bit before Mike came in to show the twins to their room. It was amazing how quickly the room emptied as May-Li cleared the snack bowls and went back to the kitchen.

"So," said Ryan.

"Yep," Emily replied awkwardly, staring at the floor. Ryan raised his hand slightly as if to touch her shoulder, but decided against it.

"Don't worry about the bet," he muttered. She stared at him. He then smirked. "I'm still cashing in though." He sauntered out of the room.

Emily shook her head in disbelief. She would never understand this boy.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...  
**

 **Will Emily's anxiety become too much?  
What happened at the twins' foster home?  
And what will happen when Emily goes shopping with her mum?  
**

 **Catch the next chapter before Saturday...**

 **P.S. Who's your favourite DG character? :)**


	15. 15: Spend Your Cares Away

**Hey, guys! Firstly, thank you so, so, so much for 50 reviews – I am so grateful! *claps hands excitedly***

 **Seriously, I am so glad you are all enjoying my story :)**

 **Here's another chapter for you all, I may be uploading even more frequently as it's the holidays!**

 **LAST TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **After a man answers her mum's mobile, Emily has a panic attack which Ryan agrees to keep a secret.  
Emily asks Jody for advice and hangs out with the other kids on their INSET day.  
Toni and Billie return and the DG kids have a movie night.**

 **Enjoy, guys! xx**

* * *

Chapter 15: Spend Your Cares Away

Emily woke up late that morning; the first thought in her head was of her mother. Had she phoned back? If she had, she would've have spoken to Ryan! _Ugh, not again,_ she thought. Pushing back the covers, she sat up and reached in the drawer for her notebook. There was only one page left and Emily didn't know where she was going to get another one. Unless the kids here got money; she didn't want to explain to her mother why she wanted a notebook. _To write about everything that has happened to me since you left..._ She put it down and got out of bed.

Picking up her clothes from the floor, she decided against all of them and dumped them in a pile on her bed. They were all too creased to be seen by her mother anyway. She chose the blue and green swirly-patterned shirt that she had carefully put away, and then picked up her black jeans from the pile on her bed, deciding they would be OK to wear. She went back and sat down on her bed. Pulling out the old photograph, she stared at it.

"Emily!" Floss half-shouted, opening the door.

"Floss!" Emily yelled back, "Ever heard of knocking?" She folded her arms and waited for the younger girl to leave.

"Well, sorry," Floss retorted, "Mike says you should come down for breakfast." She noticed that Emily was holding something. "What's that?" she asked, coming over to her.

"None of your business," Emily stammered, trying to hide the photo.

"Let me see," Floss demanded, reaching for it.

"No, it's mine!" the older girl cried, jumping up and holding it in the air.

"What's going on here?" Johnny asked as he passed in the corridor. A little crowd gathered in the corridor as Emily backed out of her room, still clutching the photo.

"I only wanted to see," Floss complained, coming towards her.

Emily stepped back and her bare foot landed on the corner of the necklace box. Tyler chuckled, earning an elbow to the ribs from Jody. Emily sprung away, leaning on the doorframe to grab her injured foot. Jody leaned forward to peer at the photograph in Emily's hand. Ryan stood next to Johnny, leaning against the wall.

"What's going on?" Tee asked as she came down the corridor, followed by the twins.

"Where did you get this?" Floss marvelled, having picked up the necklace in its box.

"That's mine," Emily affirmed, taking a step forward and reaching out a hand to take it back.

"Why was it on the floor, then?" Floss challenged, quickly stepping around her and running out into the corridor.

"Floss!" Emily yelled, pushing past the other kids who quickly moved out of the way. They followed the two girls, some amused and some concerned.

"How come you get nice things?" Floss complained, stopping at the end of the corridor, by the stairs.

"What's going on 'ere?" May-Li asked from the bottom of the stairs.

"Eh, Floss, give it back," Ryan urged, exchanging an apprehensive glance with Johnny.

"Just 'cos you like 'er," Floss retorted, waving the necklace in front of Emily menacingly.

Ryan's expression turned sour. Emily grabbed for the necklace, but Floss held it back. Mo ran into the hallway followed by Harry and Finn, who stopped at the scene before them. May-Li stepped forward as Floss came down a few steps. Jody, Tyler, Ryan and the twins filtered down the stairs and stood around the two girls.

"Now, Floss," she warned, "That necklace belongs to Emily. I need you to give it back."

"I don't think she should be allowed special treatment," Floss argued, dangling the box over the banister.

"Yeah, too right," Carmen agreed, leaning on the living room doorframe.

"Not helping Carmen," May-Li said, hands on hips. "Now, give it back, Floss."

"Who buys someone a necklace," Floss continued, "With their _name_ on it?"

"My mum gave me that," Emily said in a choked voice. Johnny laid a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off.

"If you want it, go get it," Floss said meaningfully, throwing the necklace down so it landed on the floor of the hallway.

"Why, you-" Emily began, going for the red haired girl. Johnny grabbed her arms and restrained her. Floss slowly went down the stairs with her head held high. For a girl so young, she could be pretty spiteful. The twins ran after Floss.

"Floss!" May-Li called as the girl passed her.

Emily wrenched her arms from Johnny's grip and ran down the stairs, passing Jody, Tyler and Ryan on the stairs. She dropped to her knees in front of the small box, gently prising her necklace from the packaging. Luckily it wasn't damaged. She folded her photo in half and put it in the back pocket of her jeans. She stood up, pocketing the box and running her finger along the thin gold chain.

"Is your necklace OK?" Tyler asked, peering over the banister, joined by Jody.

"Yeah," Emily murmured, glancing at him.

"Well, at least Floss doesn't have to replace it," Carmen said sourly, turning and going back into the living room. The other kids came down the stairs into the hallway.

"I'm going to find Floss," May-Li said tiredly, as the front door opened. Mike came through with a shopping bag. He closed the door behind him and turned to face the crowd before him.

"Oh, what's happened now?" Mike asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later," said May-Li, leaving the hallway.

"I can't leave for five minutes," Mike muttered. He turned to the oldest boy. "Put these groceries away, would y' Johnny?"

"Sure, Mike," he said with a smile, taking the bag and going into the kitchen.

"All right, Emily?" Mike asked her, looking expectantly at her. Emily forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied swiftly, "When are we going?"

"After lunch," he answered. He looked at the remaining kids in the hallway. "Haven't you lot got chores to do?"

The kids grumbled and began to disperse. Mike went into the office. Harry and Finn went into the kitchen as Bailey came through. He looked around, guessing he had missed something. As Jody moved past him he caught her arm.

"Hey, what's happened here?" he asked her. She shrugged out of his grip.

"Come on, I'll explain," she muttered, going through to the living room. Bailey followed. He folded his arms and looked at her.

"So I get back from walking Mischief and sumfing crazy happens," he said. "Well, go on," he added, a little impatient.

"All right," she said, holding up both hands. She continued in a hushed voice as Carmen sat reading a magazine on the sofa. Tyler had gone to the pool table, setting up another game. "Basically Floss and Emily had a bit of a disagreement over a photograph and a necklace."

"Nah, you've lost me," he said, frowning at her. It took all of Jody's power not to roll her eyes at the boy. She shifted her weight from one foot to another.

"Emily was looking at a photo when Floss burst into her room," Jody explained, "Floss wanted to see it, but Emily wouldn't let her. Then Floss found Emily's necklace on the floor; the one that her mum gave her."

"Why was it on the floor if it was special to her?" he asked bluntly.

"Well, let's say if your dad had given you a football as a present," Jody considered, folding her arms in the same fashion, "But he's a disappointment, right?"

Bailey gave a non-committal grunt in reply.

"You might have thrown it on the floor," Jody said.

"Yeah, with his temper," Carmen commented, turning the page.

"Oi, watch it," Bailey said angrily.

"Bailey," Jody said impatiently, "You asked for an explanation."

"You asked _Jody_ for an explanation," Tyler said meaningfully, grinning at them both.

"Shut up, Tyler," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, Floss threw the necklace down the stairs, so no guesses as to how much trouble she's in."

"Fair enough," said Bailey, leaning on the back of the sofa.

"And Bailey," Jody added, turning back to him, "Emily's going out with her mum today, which could go a number of ways. Just... be nice to her, all right?"

"She ain't gettin' no special treatment from me," Bailey retorted, leaving the room.

"Me neither," Carmen added pointedly. Jody rolled her eyes.

Back in the hallway, Ryan was eavesdropping on Tee and Emily, from behind the shelving unit.

"At least it's not broken," Tee said kindly. "Want me... to put it on for you?"

Emily gave a small smile, handing Tee the necklace and turning around. She moved her hair out of the way as Tee carefully undid the clasp and looped the chain around Emily's neck.

"It's really pretty," said Tee when she had put the necklace on her. She dropped the small heart which came to rest just below Emily's collar bones.

"Thanks," Emily said, fingering the small gold heart that bore her name.

"It was nice of your mum to give that to you," added the blonde girl. "I hear you're going shopping with her later?"

"Um, yeah," Emily said awkwardly, "It's Mum's way of making up for..."

"It's OK," Tee said quickly, "You don't have to tell me."

"OK," Emily muttered.

"Well, looks like we've got chores now," Tee said, "And, you and me are on laundry duty." She put an arm around the dark haired girl and led her through to the kitchen. Ryan slunk further into the shadows as the two girls passed.

"Oh, great," Emily remarked dryly, and Tee laughed. Ryan rolled his eyes as he peered out from his hiding place. He snuck back round the shelves and went into the living room, then into the kitchen.

* * *

"Floss?" Billie called, running out into the garden after her sister Toni. The two of them found her hidden away behind the bushes.

"If you want t' have a go," Floss muttered, "Then you can go away."

"No, we don't," Toni insisted, joining Floss in her hiding place.

"We just don't understand why you did that," Billie said, sitting on Floss's other side.

"She was askin' for it," Floss mumbled.

"Were you jealous?" Toni questioned.

"No," Floss insisted. "Well, maybe a bit. She's just getting' special treatment 'cos she's new. Carmen even said so."

Toni and Billie exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Well, it's not Emily's fault," Billie considered.

"We thought she was nice," Toni added.

"Well, OK," Floss agreed.

"I think May-Li is looking for you," said Billie.

"Maybe we should go," Toni suggested. The two of them got up and snuck out of the hiding place.

"See you later, Floss," Billie called as they went to see what Mo was doing with the vegetables.

Floss looked at her hands, then folded her arms. It wasn't fair. How come Emily was getting everything? Floss had been there longer, so she deserved more stuff that some girl who had been there only a week.

"Floss?" May-Li called. She looked into her hiding place and raised an eyebrow at the red haired girl.

"I'm sorry," Floss apologised.

"I think you need to say that to Emily," she said, gesturing for Floss to come out. "What were yeh thinkin'?" May-Li demanded of her.

"I don't know," Floss muttered, "I guess I was just jealous." She looked away.

"OK," May-Li agreed, "But you've got to apologise to Emily, and I'll find you some extra chores. We don't take or try to damage other people's things, OK?"

"Yes, May-Li," Floss grumbled.

"Good girl," she said as they went back into the house.

Emily and Tee had put a week's worth of socks in the washing machine and were now helping set the table for lunch. Kaz and Carmen were in charge of the Spaghetti Bolognese. A few of the other kids were helping dry the dishes and put them away. May-Li led Floss to the dark curly haired girl.

"Floss has something t' say to yeh," May-Li said, and Emily turned to the younger girl.

"I'm sorry, Emily," Floss mumbled, "I didn't mean to _break_ your necklace."

"It's OK, Floss," Emily replied, smiling at her. It would do no good to hold grudges in this place.

"OK!" Floss cried, grinning and running into the living room.

"Well, that's that sorted," said Johnny with a grin.

"I'm no miracle worker," May-Li said modestly, "But thank you. Is that on high enough, girls?" She had turned her attention to the lunch-making.

Ryan flung down his dishcloth as he stacked the last plastic tumbler and took them to the table. He glanced up at Emily and Johnny as he placed one next to each plate. Johnny went up to Emily as Tee moved past them to get some more cutlery.

"So, you're going shopping with your mum?" he asked.

"Are you people only going to stop asking that when I've actually come back?" Emily returned, smiling.

"Well," Johnny said, "Mike's going with you, and he said I can come, too."

"He asked him," Tee added, raising her eyebrows as she went to the table with a handful of forks.

"Yeah, Mike asked me," Johnny said, folding his arms. "I needed to get some more stuff for my kit bag, anyway."

"Yeh, like that's why you wanted to go," Ryan said sourly, slamming down the last cup. Johnny raised his eyebrows.

"What's wrong wiv you?" Tee asked, sounding affronted. She placed down the last fork and crossed her arms.

"Nothin'," Ryan retorted, "Don't be stupid."

"Hey, watch it," said Johnny, holding up a hand. He looked at Tee. "Just leave him, yeah?" Tee sighed as Ryan left the kitchen. Carmen and Kaz exchanged an amused look.

When lunch was ready, all the kids piled in and Emily found herself sitting opposite Ryan and beside Johnny. The meal was a noisy one, with all of the kids talking amongst themselves. The subject of the general conversation made its way round to Emily.

"Well, hope you have fun shopping," Jody said kindly.

"Yeah, get us something," Tyler said jokingly.

"Emily doesn't have to get you lot anything," said Mike.

"Yeah, this afternoon is just for Emily to spend some time with her mother," May-Li added. She and Mike went to the other side of the kitchen and talked quietly over mugs of tea.

"But she gets to go shopping," Carmen complained.

"Isn't that what your mum would do, though?" Tee pointed out. There was a collective 'ooh'.

"I guess," she muttered. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

"I will," Emily replied in a serious tone. She glanced at the clock. "What time are we going, Mike?" she called over. Mike looked at his watch.

"Well, we can get started now, if you're finished," he said. Emily immediately got up from the table, followed by Johnny.

"Hey, where are you goin'?" Harry asked.

"I'm going too, to get some stuff for my kit bag," Johnny explained.

"Really?" Finn asked dubiously. Toni and Billy shared a smile. Ryan glanced up sourly and Emily caught his eye, looking awkward.

She hurried up to her room. She shoved the photo and the box in her drawer, slamming the door behind her as she went to the bathroom. After using the toilet, washing her hands and brushing her teeth, Emily stared anxiously at her reflection in the mirror. She ran her hands through her hair and unfolded her sleeves. Then she folded them up again.

"You'll be fine," Jody assured her from the doorway. "Mike's ready to go, now."

"OK," Emily muttered, giving Jody a smile before going downstairs.

"Bye, Emily!" the kids yelled, waving, as she went left.

Ryan peered through the lace curtains that hung in front of the living room window as he watched Johnny and Emily get in the minibus. The kids went back to their business as the minibus pulled away. The twins came up behind him and watched the white bus disappear down the road.

"I wish someone would take us shopping," Toni said wistfully.

"Dream on," Ryan muttered, moving away from the window and going back up to his room.

The minibus went down the road with Mike, Johnny and Emily in the front seats. Her hands tapped against her thighs nervously. Johnny looked out of the window as they neared the town centre. Mike glanced at Emily's anxious appearance.

"Hey, it'll all be fine," he reassured her. "We could have walked, but I imagine you'll be coming home with quite a lot o' shopping!" He chuckled.

"Well, you're not wrong," she muttered. They arrived outside the supermarket and parked in the car park. They then walked to the centre, where Emily had sat by the fountain the day she had bunked off school, which now seemed an age ago. She quickly spotted her mother and ran up to her.

Her mother was wearing a simple knee-length red dress, black heels and a black leather jacket, her handbag on her arm. Her light blond hair was wavy and she had red lipstick on. Her face lit up when she saw Emily, and reached out both arms for a hug. Emily hugged her mother tightly, remembering just how much she had missed her. Releasing her, she beamed at her daughter.

"Hiya," said Mike, shaking Deliah's hand.

"All right," she replied, then looked at Johnny.

"I'm Johnny," he introduced himself. "I, uh, also live at Ashdene Ridge." He wore a long-sleeved t-shirt which was white with dark blue sleeves, with jeans. She shook his hand, then clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Right," she said happily, "Let's get started!"

Mike and Johnny exchanged a glance before Emily's mother led her down the street of shops. The first shop they entered was a clothing store, and Emily's mother was like a child in a sweet shop. She found various items, picking them up as she went around, holding them up against Emily to check the size. Emily laughed as she watched her mum rush around, but she also felt a tug of regret as she had missed six years of this. She looked slowly around the clothing racks and found some things to try on, being rushed into the changing room by her mother. Johnny and Mike lingered around the clothing racks, watching the pair of them.

Emily had picked up a red plaid shirt and a blue denim one. She tried those on but her mum seemed more interested in what she had chosen for her daughter. Emily lifted her vest to try on the next dress her mum had chosen, which was a black and white geometric patterned one, and she caught her reflection. There was a purple bruise on her hip that still hadn't gone away. It had happened just over a week ago.

 _"Dad?" Emily called quietly, knowing better than to wake him if he was asleep. She crept down the stairs and poked her head round the living room door. But she couldn't see him. She went further into the room._

 _"What are you doin' up?" her father slurred as he came up behind her. She spun round to see her father leaning on the doorframe, all dishevelled and a beer can in one hand._

 _"Oh, I just-" Emily stammered, "I heard you come in a little while ago, and I-"_

 _"Get to bed," he demanded, coming into the room._

 _"Yes, Dad," Emily said, looking down. She hurried past. "Oh, Dad, you didn't want anything to eat, did you? 'Cause I can-"_

 _"I said get to bed!" he yelled, shoving her to one side and slumping down on the sofa._

 _Emily's light frame was knocked to the side and she stumbled through the door, crashing into the banister. She bit her lip to stop crying out as her hip collided with the end of the metal banister. She leaned on the wall for support, a hand to her injury, tears coming to her eyes. She weakly climbed the stairs and fell into bed, lifting her faded old t-shirt to see a large red mark that was slowly turning black._

"Emily?" her mum called, "Can I see the dress on?"

Emily started, blinking at her reflection. She peeled off the vest and her jeans, quickly shrugging into the dress and tugging it down. It had no sleeves and almost reached her knees. The pattern was made up of triangles of different sizes in black and white.

"Yeah, mum," she called, pulling the curtain aside to reveal her mother who still had several items of clothing on each arm. She put them down on the stool in the changing room and held out both of her hands.

"Wow, darling, you look lovely!" she gushed, "Monochrome really suits you!"

"Monochrome?" Emily repeated.

"Black and white, darling," she quickly filled in, handing Emily a black leather jacket that matched her own. Emily put it on over the dress. "Oh, gorgeous darling, and you're wearing the necklace I got you as well."

"Yeah," Emily said awkwardly, fingering the small gold heart, but she scrunched up her face as she eyed the jacket in her reflection.

"Well, you've still got more to try on," said her mother, seemingly not bothered by the fact her daughter didn't want to dress like her, "And I'll try and find some more black and white for you! Here," she said, handing Emily another item to try on.

An hour or so later, Emily had acquired two new dresses, four new tops, a pair of black shorts, two pairs of jeans and a really cool tan suede jacket, along with two new pairs of shoes. She was having quite a good time, actually. But she knew it wouldn't last. They continued down the street of shops and Emily passed a cool vintage shop, turning her head to look at the window display.

"Right, I knew there was something I forgot," her mum said as they left the shop, Johnny and Mike now carrying two shopping bags each. Emily snapped her head away, slightly disappointed that she probably wouldn't get to look in that particular shop that day. "I need to buy you a phone!"

"Is that all right?" Emily asked Mike. She didn't know whether she would be allowed one.

"Yes, that's fine," Mike assured her. Emily's mum hurried her into the phone shop. Emily's eyes widened as her mum selected one of the latest models of the Smartphone. She paid for it without much of a word and they left the shop.

"Wow," Emily marvelled as she thought of the shiny new phone all boxed up in the bag she carried.

"Want an ice cream, darling?" her mum asked as they neared the end of the street.

"I'm not five," Emily scoffed. "I mean, I'm fine, thanks."

"That's OK, darling," her mum replied easily. Several hours had passed and Emily was beginning to feel tired.

"Could we get something for the other kids?" she asked, remembering Tyler's sarcastic comment from before.

"You don't have to do that," Mike said.

"No, I want to," Emily insisted, "Couldn't we just get them some sweets or something?"

"Nice," Johnny commented with a grin.

"Maybe some chocolates," Mike agreed.

"OK," Emily said happily, going into the sweet shop and choosing a bag of assorted chocolates. Her mum paid for it and they went back up the street towards the centre.

"I've had a really nice time, mum," she said with a smile.

"Aw, I'm glad you have," she gushed. The four of them sat on two benches by the fountain, watching the passers-by.

Mike and Johnny exchanged a glance and Johnny smirked as Mike looked exhausted.

"We'll have to do this again sometime," her mum said. Then she seemed to remember something. "I haven't had to buy for a teenager before!" She stood up.

"Where're you going?" Emily asked, puzzled.

"One moment, darling!" her mum cried, "I just forgot to buy something." She hurried off down the street of shops again. Emily looked at Mike.

"Do you think she'll come back?" she wondered aloud.

"I'm sure she will, Emily," Johnny said kindly. After a few minutes of silence between them, Emily spotted her mother returning. She got up. Her mum was carrying another shopping bag as she came up to them.

"Don't open this until you get back," she said.

"OK, mum," Emily promised, feeling curious as to what was in the bag. "It was nice spending some time with you."

"And you, darling," her mum replied, placing a hand on her daughter's cheek, "Though perhaps next time I'll spend a bit less!" She laughed. Emily smiled awkwardly, thinking about what Ryan had said about still being about to get stuff off her mum even if she wouldn't forgive her. Emily still wouldn't forgive her mother, of course; not that easily.

"Are you parked in the supermarket car park?" Mike asked.

"Yes, I'll come with you to your car," she said.

"Minibus," Johnny corrected cheerfully, taking another bag from Mike, not seeming to struggle under their weight at all.

"Oh, right," Emily's mum said, leading the way.

"There it is," Johnny said, gesturing towards the white minibus. They went up to it, and Mike put down one of the shopping bags to unlock the door. Johnny helped him load the shopping onto the van as Emily said goodbye to her mother.

"I copied your new number to my phone," her mum explained, taking her by the shoulders. "So I can call you, and don't forget to save my mobile and home number to your phone."

"I'll do that as soon as I get back," Emily promised.

"I know you're growing up, now," her mum continued, "So I hope you'll find my present useful."

"Oh," Emily said, guessing what was in the secret bag. "I will. Thanks for today, mum. It was long overdue."

"Yes, darling," she murmured, placing a hand to her daughter's face, before pulling her into a hug. Emily blinked away the tears as her mum gave a last wave and turned to go to her own car.

"I'll be in touch," Mike called as he got into the minibus. Emily got in, followed by Johnny.

"I was right about all that shopping," Mike chuckled.

"Yep," Emily muttered.

"Did you get what you wanted for your kit bag?" he asked Johnny.

"Yeah, I think I've got everything now," Johnny answered.

"When are you leaving?" Emily asked.

"Wednesday," he replied. Emily blinked. So soon? They soon reached Ashdene Ridge and the climbed out of the minibus.

Ryan peered out of his window as he saw the minibus pull up outside. He crept out of his room and down the corridor. A bedroom door was ajar and Ryan paused outside, listening in. Her recognised Tee's voice; she was talking to the twins. He drew back slightly.

"He didn't like us," Billie mumbled.

"We were scared," Toni added quietly.

"So, why didn't you say anything sooner?" Tee asked.

"We didn't want to get into trouble," Toni said anxiously.

"Please don't tell anyone," Billie pleaded. "We know we should have said something."

Ryan smirked. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"We weren't happy there," Toni said, "From the start, we just wanted to come back to the Dumping Ground."

"Of course I won't tell anyone," Tee assured. "Oh, I think I heard the front door, Emily's back."

Ryan sped round the corner and loped down the stairs as Emily came in. She was carrying two shopping bags and Johnny came in behind her carrying more bags. Harry and Finn looked excited as Carmen, Bailey and Jody came through from the living room. Carmen leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. Tee and the twins came down, and Tyler and Mo stood behind the younger kids.

"Here, I got you all something," said Emily, tossing the bag of chocolates to Tyler, who caught it and the rest of the kids got distracted.

"Help with these bags, please," Mike called, and Ryan quickly stepped forward. Palming the remaining chocolates off on the younger kids, Tyler and Jody went to get a bag each, taking them up to Emily's room. Emily followed as her shopping was taken upstairs. They dumped the bags on her floor, and Emily smiled as they Tyler, Jody, Johnny and Ryan stood in her doorway.

"Thanks, guys," she said awkwardly.

"Come on, then, Tyler," said Jody, "Johnny?" The three of them departed.

"Been playin' happy families have we?" Ryan said snidely as Emily took out one of the shoe boxes and opened it, revealing a pair of all black converse shoes. Emily rolled her eyes. Ryan looked down at his own feet, which were clad in identical shoes. "Good choice," he muttered, before going to leave.

Emily glanced up to see his black converse clad feet disappear from sight. She smiled as she held an identical pair of shoes in her hands. She wondered where she had got that idea.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME'..._  
**

 **Will Ryan still 'cash in' on the bet?  
What will Emily ask Mike?  
And what will Ryan confront Johnny about?  
**

 **Catch the next chapter on Tuesday...**


	16. 16: Just a Game

**Hey, readers! How are you all? Yes, an early update for you all!**

 **Thank you so much for 3,000 views! *squeals with joy* I am so grateful that you guys keep reading!**

 **Today's chapter is dedicated to the amazing 'Ginger Redwood' who reads and reviews without fail! Also, her stories are awesome, so if you like Big Hero Six and Wreck-It Ralph – go check out her crossover 'Reality World' and give it a review while you're there! Thanks again, Ginger!**

 **IMPORTANT NEWS: I will be uploading a new Christmas-themed Dumping Ground One-Shot on Christmas day! I will let you all know who it's all about in the next chapter of 'Going Home' which will be up on Christmas Eve... so look out for that!**

 **In the meantime, enjoy! xx**

 **LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Floss found Emily's necklace, feeling injustice at Emily's 'special treatment'.  
Emily gets to spend the afternoon with her mother, shopping.  
Ryan overhears the twins confiding in Tee, revealing what happened at their foster home.**

* * *

Chapter 16: Just a Game

Ryan sauntered down the corridor on Sunday morning dressed in his faded black jeans and a red and black plaid shirt over a maroon long-sleeved top. He padded quietly along the carpet in his black All Stars. He brushed back his hair from his forehead and went to the door of the box room. Smirking, he knocked loudly and waited.

Emily groggily rolled over and squinted at her bedroom door. After she had got back from the much anticipated shopping trip with her mum, she had placed all of the bags and boxes neatly in front of her wardrobe before being called down for dinner. The kids had obviously asked many questions, but her answers had been brief. Ryan had spent the majority of the meal looking rather sour. Emily had been eager to get away and have some time to think. All of this thinking had resulted in not much sleep as the previous day had replayed in her mind.

The knocking came again, more urgent this time. She huffed, rubbing at her sleepy eyes. She frowned, contemplating getting up to answer the door. But she decided against this, snuggling deeper into her duvet.

"Who is it?" she half-mumbled. The door opened and she looked up, affronted.

"Come on, Emily," Ryan said, annoyed, "I hope yer not forgettin' your side of the bet."

"You said not to worry about it anymore," Emily grumbled, "Go away, Ryan."

"I _said_ I'm still cashing in," he said meaningfully. "Now, get up."

"You can't tell me what to do," she muttered.

"Actually, I think yew'll find I can," Ryan said conceitedly, "It was your idea, after all, for the loser to have to do everythin' the winner told 'em to do."

Emily took on a stony expression as she realised what this meant for her – for the next week.

"Now," Ryan said dangerously, " _Get up_."

Emily slowly sat up and pushed back the covers. She stood up, folding her arms and glared at the boy. She wore a black t-shirt and blue striped pyjama trousers she had nicked from the laundry room the other day. She surveyed Ryan's smug expression as he leaned against the doorframe, arms folded.

"What shall you have me do, then," Emily asked, through clenched teeth, " _Your Majesty_?"

Ryan smirked.

"First, you can make me breakfast," he said simply.

"You're joking," she said, eyes widening.

"Nope," he said. "Come on, then," he added impatiently. Emily rolled her eyes but didn't move.

"Can't I at least get dressed first?" she asked, "It's quite late, I'd imagine."

"Just gone nine am," Ryan filled in. He looked at her. "Fine," he agreed. "I'll give ya five minutes, and I suppose yew can use the bathroom if yeh really want to..."

"Right, then," Emily said briskly, crossing her small room to slam the door in his face. Ryan jumped back as the door closed in front of him.

"Ehm, Emily?" he said in a whiny tone, deciding to take advantage of the situation.

"What do you want now?" Emily grumbled, tugging on her new blue jeans. She didn't have any scissors to cut off the label, so she tucked it in for now.

"I think yew need to apologise," Ryan said provokingly.

"Are you kidding me?" Emily half-yelled, flinging the door open, only half-dressed. Ryan shifted his weight to one leg, arms crossed. "And if I don't?" she challenged.

"Well," Ryan said thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed. "I've still got yer mum's number on me phone. I don't suppose yew'd want me callin' her up, now, would ya?"

Emily swallowed. That boy could say anything to her mum, and she didn't want that.

"Yew agreed to these terms, remember?" he added. He glanced at his watch. "I think yeh've just used up a minute of your time."

Emily shut the door again and gave an annoyed yell. She huffed, rooting through the bags for her new green t-shirt, which she shrugged on. With a slight smile she picked up her new all black converse and slipped them on, tying the soft laces. She ran her hands through her hair a couple of times before opening the door again. Ryan was still there, leaning against the wall to the left. She went out of her room and eyed the boy. Her eyes fell to his shoes, which were identical to her. With a huff, she walked past him towards the bathroom.

"Where yeh goin'?" he asked, sounding irritated.

"I hope you're not going to stop me using the bathroom, Ryan," Emily said meaningfully, locking the door behind her. As she washed her hands at the sink, she spotted a little pair of nail scissors on the shelf. Drying her hands, she reached for the scissors and cut the labels off her new t-shirt and jeans, tossing the bits of paper in the bin. Replacing the scissors, Emily quickly brushed her teeth before leaving the bathroom.

"Come on, then," Ryan said, leading the way downstairs. Emily reluctantly followed. Johnny came through the front door, evidently having been for a run. He smiled at the two of them.

"Yer gonna want t' have a shower, mate," Ryan said with a grin.

"I know," Johnny replied with a smirk. He looked at Emily. "Hey, is the bathroom free?" he asked her.

"It was, just a second ago," Emily answered with a smile.

"Thanks," he said, touching her shoulder as he passed her on the stairs. She caught Ryan's eye and followed him through to the kitchen. Jody and the rest of the boys were hanging out in the living room as Emily went through.

"Cool t-shirt!" Jody called from the pool table.

"Thanks," Emily returned, "Same to you!" Jody was wearing a black and white horizontal striped t-shirt with a grey zip-up hoodie on top. Jody gave Emily a nod before she went into the kitchen.

Tee, Carmen, Kaz and the twins were in the kitchen. Billie and Toni were drying the plastic cups to put away and the other girls were finishing their breakfast. May-Li came through from the laundry room. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Ryan.

"Uh, Ryan?" she said pointedly, "There's clothes to go out."

"Yes, May-Li," he said calmly, "Straight after breakfast, I promise." May-Li nodded and left the kitchen. Ryan then turned to Emily. She frowned at him. "I'll have some toast, if y' please."

"Yes, Ryan," Emily muttered, going to get some bread to put in the toaster.

"White bread, please," he added, sitting down. The _pleases_ were really starting to grate on Emily's nerves now. He glanced at Tee and Carmen who were also sitting at the table. "Emily's just lovely, isn't she?" He hid a smirk behind an innocent look.

Emily had her back turned so rolled her eyes and put on toast for herself as well. She went to get plates before going back to the toaster. The toast soon popped so Emily put it on the plates and got a knife from the drawer. Taking the plates to the table, she put one in front of Ryan.

"What d'you want on it?" she asked with a sigh.

"I'll have... the chocolate spread," he replied after a moment's thought.

"It's over there," said Tee, pointing to the worktop. She got up, exchanging a glance with Carmen, who followed her out of the room when they had put their dishes in the kitchen. "Kaz?" Tee added, and the dark-skinned girl followed. Emily watched the three girls leave as she crossed the kitchen.

"Here you go," said Toni, picking up the jar and handing it to her.

"Thanks, Toni, isn't it?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," the younger girl replied, exchanging a smile with her sister. The twins left the room and it was just Emily and Ryan left in the kitchen.

"Ehm, that's not enough," he said as she stopped spreading, sounding as if she should know this. Emily spread more on his toast before standing back.

"Happy now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in annoyance. She sat down opposite him and put some chocolate spread on her own toast.

"Ooh, is there toast up for grabs?" Tyler asked with interest as he entered.

"Actually, yeh," Ryan said smugly, "Emily, why don't you give Tyler a piece?"

She stared at him. He gave her a level look. She set her jaw, picking up one of her slices of toast and slowly passing it to the curly haired boy.

"Aw, thanks, Emily!" Tyler said cheerfully, going back into the living room.

Emily scowled at Ryan as he nibbled at his toast, stuffing her remaining slice in her mouth, before it could be donated to anyone else.

"Y'know, I'm really craving some orange juice," Ryan said meaningfully. Emily got up, her chair scraping on the floor. She crossed to the fridge, got out the carton of juice, got a plastic cup and filled it. She went to the table and slammed it down in front of the boy.

Ryan had finished his toast and took the drink with a smug expression. Emily cleared away the plates from the table and put them in the sink. Ryan stood up with an ease and sauntered towards the laundry room. Knowing she had no other choice, Emily followed him.

"Well, y' heard May-Li," he said, leaning on the doorframe as Emily went into the little room. "Clothes're in there." He gestured towards the large washing machine that had finished its spin.

"I hope you're enjoying this," Emily muttered as she grabbed a basket and thumped it on the floor. She opened the washing machine and grabbed the damp clothes from inside, stuffing them into the basket.

"Nah, not too much at the moment," he considered. Emily stood up. "Yeh might want some pegs with that." He tossed a small cloth bag of plastic pegs at her, which she deftly caught and threw in the basket.

"Might as well get this over with," Emily murmured to herself, though she knew it wouldn't end there. She went outside into the bright summer sunshine and made her way over to the clothes line. Bailey and Jody had gone outside to play football, and Bailey kicked the ball in Emily's direction. She quickly ducked to dodge it.

"Hey, watch it," Ryan said angrily, though Emily supposed it was because the ball had almost hit him, too.

"Wanna play?" Jody asked, running down the garden to fetch the ball. The washing line was near the shed and Emily put the large basket down.

"Sorry, uh, I've got chores," Emily rambled, grabbing something from the basket.

"You were on laundry duty with Tee yesterday," Jody said, confused. She picked up the ball and tucked it under one arm.

"Hey, what's takin' you so long?" Bailey complained, coming into view. Emily quickly pegged a dark pink t-shirt on the line. He eyed Ryan. "Hey, man, why's she doing your chores?"

"Yeah, that's not fair," Jody added, looking affronted. Ryan shot Emily a meaningful look.

"I, uh, just wanted to help," she said with a shrug, shoving the peg bag at Ryan.

"Yeh," Ryan affirmed, handing Emily a peg.

"Right," Jody said, not convinced.

"Come on, Jody," Bailey said impatiently, knocking the ball from her arm and dribbling it along the ground.

"Hey, wait!" she protested, running after him and out of sight. Ryan tossed the peg bag on the floor moodily and folded his arms. Emily glanced at him, unimpressed. He could at least pretend to be helping. And she thought she had liked this boy.

"Could you get any slower?" he accused, and Emily scowled at him.

She swiftly pegged the clothes on the line, which were all dark coloured. There were a couple of boys' jeans and tracksuit bottoms, some dark t-shirts and finally a black collared button-up shirt. Emily held it up and inspected it. She turned to Ryan and looked back at the shirt.

"This yours?" she asked, feigning an interest. She stooped to grab a couple of pegs from the floor.

"Hey, careful," he said, stepping forward, "I don't want any peg marks on the shoulders."

"That's why I'm hanging it _upside down_ ," she said meaningfully, doing so. She folded her arms, having finished. "I'm not completely stupid."

"Well, that's debatable," he muttered, though Emily heard this and her eyes narrowed. She picked up the peg bag and tossed it into the basket. Ryan glanced at her as took the basket under her arm. "Give me that," he demanded, snatching the basket from her and making his way back up the garden.

They passed where Jody and Bailey were playing football, and Bailey glanced up with a scornful look as Ryan went past. Jody took this opportunity to score a goal and Emily grinned as Jody ran around the pitch with her arms in the air. Emily chuckled as Bailey shot the shorter girl a glare. Ryan glanced at the curly haired girl expectantly. Jody raised her eyebrows at him as he ran towards her. Her eyes widened as he grabbed her in a rough hug.

"You was distracting me," he complained, as Jody squirmed half heartedly out of his grip.

"Oh, does this distract you?" Jody said jokingly, breaking away from him and gaining possession of the ball.

"You're so annoyin'!" Bailey yelled, though he couldn't wipe the smirk form his face.

"Emily?" Ryan muttered, as he made his way back into the house. He walked in with a pleasant expression on his face as May-Li crossed the kitchen.

"That was quick," she said mildly, taking the empty basket from him.

"It was nothing," he said modestly, and Emily hid her annoyed expression. May-Li smiled and went back into the laundry room. A few of the kids were doing chores in the kitchen as Johnny walked in. He grabbed a cup from the sideboard and shot Emily and Ryan a grin. Ryan smiled back, motioning with a nod of his head for Emily to follow him. As soon as he and Emily had passed Johnny and left the kitchen, his smile disappeared.

Emily grudgingly followed Ryan through the living room and out into the hallway. Some of the kids had looked up as they passed, but went back to their own activities. Ryan went up the stairs to his room and opened the door, gesturing for Emily to enter. She went in and turned, levelling her gaze and folding her arms. She stared at his unreadable expression and raised an eyebrow. He closed the door and she frowned.

"What's this about?" she asked suspiciously.

"I want _yew_ to clean me room," he said simply. Emily sighed deeply.

"Fine," she said. "Where shall I start?"

"Well, yew can... make the bed, tidy the bookshelf, sort out my washin'," he listed off. Emily looked stonily at him. "If I think of anythin' else, I'll be sure t' let y'know."

She slowly shook her head before going to the double bed and straightening the pin-striped sheets. She patted the pillows back into the shape and picked up the red blanket form the floor. She spread it out and placed it neatly over the duvet. Ryan crossed the room and flopped down on the sofa and put his hands behind his head. Emily went over to the low bookshelf and knelt down in front of it.

"Pass me a mag', would ya?" Ryan drawled. Emily looked to the top shelf to find a disorganised pile of skating magazines. She grabbed the top one and made her way around the bed to where Ryan was sitting. She slapped the magazine onto his knees and stalked back round to where the bookshelf was. As Ryan casually flicked through the magazine, Emily piled up the slightly dog-eared copies of the skating mags and replaced them on the shelf.

"I didn't know you were into skating," she commented, standing up to survey the rest of the room. Her eyes came to rest on a skateboard with a red, yellow and green design on the bottom. Next to it was a dark red glossy helmet that had been flung down along with knee- and elbow-pads. "Oh," she muttered. That kind of explained it.

The floor was littered in items of clothing that almost seemed strategically placed. She bent to pick up a pair of grey skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. She found a lone sock which she picked up between a finger and thumb, gathering a little pile of his clothes in her arms.

"Your room was a lot cleaner last week," she remarked. Ryan looked up from his magazine.

"Well, y'know, I just left it like this since we made that bet," Ryan said with a shrug.

"Are you serious?" Emily said incredulously, picking up a dark-red hoodie. "You were that sure you would win?"

Ryan just shrugged again, smirking.

"You're so arrogant," she muttered in disbelief. Ryan raised an eyebrow. There was something about Emily's tone, however, that made Ryan think she might not fully mean it. He smirked and settled himself on the sofa.

"Y'know it's all an act, don't yeh?" Ryan muttered, glancing once at her.

"What're you on about?" Emily asked, confused.

"Him bein' so dead nice t' yeh," Ryan explained.

"Yeah, and?" Emily shrugged, folding the red hoodie.

"Yeh really think he means it?" Ryan scoffed, "He just wants to get on yer good side, like a big brother, or maybe even something more."

Emily glanced at him, suspicion beginning to grow in her mind. "I don't need a brother."

"Well, why don't yeh try tellin' Johnny that?" Ryan suggested. "He'll never leave you alone otherwise, you've seen how he sucks up t' yeh. He's probably doing it to make himself look good, y'know leave a good impression."

Emily looked stonily at him. "Well, d'you have a basket or something?" she asked, piling up the small number of clothes on his bed.

"Should be one in the hallway," he said, looking down at his magazine. He carefully turned the page. She snuck out into the corridor, finding a basket and going quickly back to Ryan's room. "Close the door," he added, glancing up once.

Emily closed the door with exaggerated gestures and raised her eyebrows sarcastically at him, but he was apparently too absorbed in his magazine. She sorted through his clothes putting some of them in the washing basket at Ryan's request. She folded the rest of them. Spotting something on the floor on the other side of the bed, Emily went round. She looked in disgust at it.

"You have got to be joking," Emily said in revulsion. Ryan glanced up, amused. "No," Emily uttered, "No way... am I picking up your _pants_ , Ryan."

Ryan suppressed a laugh. Emily inched her foot towards said article of clothing. She picked it up with her shoe and flicked it into the basket. She gave a shudder.

"Hey, a hole in one!" Ryan remarked, looking amused.

"These were clean on," Emily complained, looking at her shoes. The floor was clean apart from a stray magazine on the floor. Emily bent to pick it up so she could finally be free of this task. Underneath the magazine was a red envelope with Ryan's name and Ashdene's Ridge's address. It was written in a young hand, and Emily wondered who had sent it. "What's this then?" Emily asked curiously, waving the letter at him.

Ryan's head snapped up and his eyes widened as he saw the envelope. His brown eyes held an expression of fear and Emily looked at him in concern. He sprung up, the magazine on his lap falling to the floor. He snatched the envelope out of her hand and clutched it to his chest.

"Get out," he spat.

"I'm sorry?" Emily mumbled.

"I said, get _out_!" he yelled, stepping forward to give her a shove with one hand, keeping the red envelope to his chest.

"All right!" Emily retorted, stumbling back and holding up both hands. She quickly exited the room, taking the washing basket with her. She slammed the door behind her and stormed back to her own room, flopping down on her bed and dropping the basket on the floor.

She felt angry. Not only because Ryan had yelled at her and even given her a shove, but because he was basically controlling her. All because of that stupid bet. She leaned forward to pick up some of her own clothes from the floor and put them in the washing basket.

Emily knelt on the floor and rooted through her shopping bags. She came to the one that her mum had made her wait to open. Driven by curiosity, Emily opened the opaque pink bag and peered inside. It contained a handful of make-up. Emily grabbed a few items to find foundation, mascara, powder and eyeliner. Tipping them back in the bag, she guessed the whole lot was in there.

"Hey, Emily," said a familiar voice. Emily pushed the bag away and looked up to see Johnny standing in her doorway.

"Oh, hi, Johnny," she said half-heartedly.

"Mike wanted me to let you know that lunch is ready," he said with a smile.

"OK," she said mildly, standing up and picking up the laundry basket. She closed her bedroom door behind her and left the basket in the corridor.

"I didn't know you were on laundry today," Johnny commented as they went down the corridor.

"I just had some stuff lying about my room, you know," she said evasively, rounding the corner.

"Is Ryan still in his room?" Johnny asked.

"Who cares," Emily muttered, but replied, "Yeah, probably?"

"I'll just let him know lunch is ready," he said, watching Emily turn to go downstairs. "Hey, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, "Can't you just leave me alone?" She hurried off down the stairs. Emily didn't know what to believe anymore. Who was even being genuine towards her? Had her mother really cared that much? Was Johnny just being nice to her so he would look good?

The table was set and the food was being put out. The kids clamoured around, finding their seats at the table. Emily was ushered in as Johnny and Ryan came into the kitchen. She sat down at one end of the table as Ryan was seated at the other. Johnny sat somewhere in the middle, between Tee and Carmen. The fish and chips were plated up and the kids eagerly tucked in. Emily picked at a chip with her fork and glanced up at the boy at the other end of the table.

Ryan picked at his food moodily, not making eye contact with anyone. If Emily wasn't mistaken, Ryan's eyes were a little red, as if from crying. What had been in that letter? And who had it been from? He looked up, meeting her stony gaze.

"What's going on here then?" Carmen asked, looking from Ryan to Emily.

"Have you two fallen out?" Harry asked, who was sitting next to Ryan. He looked a little crestfallen at this thought.

"Don't be silly, mate," Ryan assured him, glancing at Emily, who quickly shook her head.

"Kinda looks like it," Johnny commented.

"Jealous?" Tyler remarked, stuffing several chips into his mouth.

"Why would he be jealous of people having an argument?" Tee asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, you don't have arguments with strangers," Jody considered, and Bailey smirked at her unspoken suggestion.

"We're not in an argument," Emily muttered, staring at her plate. "Can we please not talk about it?"

"Looks like there's nothing to talk about," said Kaz.

For the rest of the meal, the conversation was directed away from the two moody teenagers.

"So when are we having this football game?" Jody demanded, laying down her fork once she had finished.

"We'd better have it before I leave," Johnny said cheerfully, "I want to play!"

"Yeah, you'll be good," Carmen put in. She gave an embarrassed smile when Johnny beamed at her.

"How about tomorrow?" Bailey suggested. "We can train later and tomorrow morning, sorting out teams and that."

"Boys vs. Girls?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yeh, good luck with that." Ryan directed this comment at the girls.

"That's funny, 'cause I've never seen you play football," Tee returned.

"Well, I've gotta be better than yew," Ryan retorted, earning a laugh from Tyler. Harry and Finn exchanged a grin.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we," Jody said, sounding determined. "We'll have Emily on our team, and she got better than Tyler in half an hour!"

Emily glanced up, looking awkward.

"Are we all done here?" Mike asked, poised to start clearing the table. Following a chorus of yeses, the plates were passed down and taken to the worktop. The kids filtered out of the kitchen and Emily managed to sneak away without being spotted by Ryan.

She went to the bathroom and took the scissors, going back to her room and finding her new zip-up hoodie, which was a dark blue. She cut the label off and shrugged into the soft material. She then found her new phone in one of the bags. It was all set up and ready, so she turned it on. Emily remembered promising her mother that she would transfer the numbers to her new phone as soon as she got back yesterday. Oops.

She took the scrap of paper out of the drawer, along with the photograph. She stuffed both in her pocket and also pocketed her phone as she heard footsteps in the corridor. She stood up to only see Tee passing. Emily went out into the corridor and back downstairs. Luckily, Mike was back in his office. Emily hesitantly knocked on the door. Mike glanced up and motioned for her to come in.

"Um, Mike?" Emily asked once she had entered

"Yes, Emily?" he replied, smiling pleasantly.

"Well, I was wondering," she began, "About my dad?"

"Yes," he said.

"When can I see him?" she enquired, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"I don't think that will be possible at the moment," Mike said regretfully.

"W-Why not?" Emily stammered. "He's my dad; I think I deserve to see him!"

Mike stood up. "I'm really sorry, Emily." She followed him out of the office.

"This isn't fair," she protested, knowing how whiny she sounded.

"Emily, could we possibly talk about this later?" Mike asked gently as he closed the office door.

"OK," she grumbled.

"Thanks, kid," he said, clapping her on the shoulder and going off into the kitchen.

Emily huffed as she saw Johnny and Ryan come into the hallway. She turned and opened the front door. She stormed through, glancing behind as she saw Johnny follow her out. She ran across the lawn and jumped the fence.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" she asked, before disappearing down the road.

Johnny moved to go after her, but Ryan caught his arm as he closed the front door behind him.

"Yeh heard her," he said.

"Since when do you care?" Johnny asked, turning to face the shorter boy. The front garden was silent and empty as the two boys faced each other.

"I... care," Ryan muttered.

"Well, it certainly looks like it," Johnny scoffed.

"What are yer on about?" Ryan questioned, eyes narrowed.

"Got her doing your chores and everything," Johnny accused. Ryan looked surprised, so the taller boy added. "Jody told me. Are you trying to control her?"

"It's none of your business," Ryan retorted. "What are you playin' with her anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Johnny asked, confused.

"All this niceness, yer just sucking up to her," Ryan said provokingly, "Bit young for you, isn't she?"

"It's not like that," the taller boy defended.

"Is this all just a game t' yew?" Ryan asked with scorn. "Yeh don't even know 'er."

"And you do?" Johnny asked incredulously, taking a step closer.

"I know her better than yew," he replied, sounding a bit smug.

"Sure," Johnny scoffed, "Like she'd want to be with you, anyway."

"Run along back to Carmen," Ryan snapped, "Oh, wait, you can't – yer going soon."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you."

"Well, I can't believe yew," Ryan returned, "Y' think yer gonna be a soldier?" He shook his head, adding bitingly, "You're pathetic."

Johnny scowled at him. He shoved Ryan roughly in the chest with both hands. Due to the shorter boy's light skinny frame, he was knocked off his feet. Slamming into the ground, Ryan looked up resentfully, rubbing his elbow.

"What's going on?" Jody asked, coming out of the house a second later. She eyed the two boys, one with clenched fists and one on the ground.

"Nothin'," Ryan muttered, throwing a level glance at Johnny.

"Yeah, nothing," Johnny said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Right," Jody said slowly. "Have either of you seen Emily?"

"She went that way," Ryan said, pointing down the road.

"Maybe ten minutes ago, or less," Johnny added. Glancing at Jody, he offered Ryan a hand. Ryan slapped it away and got up by himself. He brushed down his jeans. The two boys glanced up, but Jody had disappeared.

She had gone up to Emily's room. She found the empty phone box on Emily's bed, and looked inside it. Finding the piece of paperwork with the phone number on it, she took out her own phone and entered the number to send a text message. Emily had obviously been quite upset to have stormed off, and Jody guessed it was something to do with what Johnny and Ryan had been fighting about – it wasn't hard to guess that there had been some sort of disagreement, how else had Ryan ended up on the floor?

Jody typed a short message and pressed send. It read:

 _Hey, Emily. It's Jody. Please come home._

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME'_** **...**

 **Will Emily, Ryan and Johnny sort things out?  
What arrives in the post for Emily?  
And who will win the DG football game?**

 **Catch the next chapter on Thursday (Christmas Eve)...**


	17. 17: More Important Than Football

**Hello, readers!**

 **It's Christmas Eve, what!? I have a cold :P But here's another chapter for you all!  
**

 **Thank you so much for 60 reviews – you guys are amazing!**

 **Today's special mention goes to 'Trusted Trouble', who always leaves lovely reviews! She's also created a forum called "The DG Fan Club", so type that into your search bar under 'forums' if you guys are interested! It's a place to chat and discuss all things Dumping Ground :D  
**

 **Also thank you to the guest 'Night-Tail', cheers for those reviews, and yes, here's the chapter!**

 **IMPORTANT NEWS: My Dumping Ground Christmas One-Shot will be up tomorrow evening as promised, and it will be about... Johnny and Carmen! It's called "Before You Go" - hope you guys like it!**

 **Lastly, please kindly leave a review this chapter, it would be a lovely Christmas present to wake up to tomorrow ^.^**

 **Enjoy, guys, and Merry Christmas xx**

 **LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Ryan 'cashes in' on the bet, annoying Emily.  
Ryan confronts Johnny about his intentions.  
Jody texts Emily to come home, after she runs away.**

* * *

Chapter 17: More Important Than Football

Emily ran as fast as she could in the direction of the park. She wiped a tear from her eye with the back of her hand as she kept running. Turning heads as she passed, Emily didn't know where she was going. She reached the park and stopped at the metal fence. She leaned on it, breathing heavily. No one even cared that she'd gone, probably. They certainly wouldn't have noticed yet. She went and sat on the bench inside the gates.

Sometime later, Emily felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Taking it out, she turned on the screen to find she had a text message. Swiping the screen to the side, she opened the text. It was rather unexpected, as it read:

 _Hey, Emily. It's Jody. Please come home._

Home? Where was home? Surely Emily didn't class Ashdene Ridge as her _home._ Emily decided it would just be easier to go back to The Dumping Ground.

Putting her phone back in her pocket, she walked slowly back in the direction of the Care Home. When she first approached the house, she thought there was no one outside. But as she got closer, she saw Ryan sitting on the white fence, nursing what appeared to be a sore elbow. Stalking past him, she went towards the front door.

"Where yew been then?" came the snide voice. Emily turned to see Ryan standing in front of her.

"What happened to you?" she asked in return, nodding towards his elbow.

"Nothin'," he muttered. He looked at her with a level gaze. "Think you can go running of, do yeh?"

"Last time I checked, it was a free country," Emily retorted, reaching for her phone. "Only reason I bothered coming back was because Jody texted me to." She held up her phone.

"Nice phone," he remarked, sauntering past her, "Did yeh mum get that for ya?"

Emily set her jaw and followed him into the house, pulling her hood off. Jody bounded down the stairs and ran up to her.

"You came back!" she said cheerfully.

"Um, yeah," Emily said awkwardly. She looked at the slightly shorter girl. "How did you get my number?"

"Oh," Jody looked sheepish, "I may have looked in your room to find it."

"You went in my room?" Emily exclaimed, pushing past her and running up the stairs. She stormed into her room and found the phone packaging and paperwork strewn on her bed. "What did you touch?" she asked, spinning round to face Jody, who had followed her upstairs.

"Nothing!" Jody insisted, "Only that," she added, pointing to the mess Emily's bed. "I had to do something."

Ryan smirked from where he leaned against the wall; arms crossed, and in full view of Emily. Emily sighed, passing a hand in front of her face.

"It's OK," Emily said. "You were only trying to help, and you didn't look at any of my stuff, so..."

"Thanks, Emily," Jody said. "I'm glad you came back." Emily nodded awkwardly. "Want to come play football?"

"Sure," Emily answered easily, closing her bedroom door firmly behind her as Ryan sauntered off.

They went out into the garden, and it seemed that no one had noticed Emily had been missing, apart from Ryan, Johnny and Jody. She had only been gone maybe less than half an hour, anyway. She played football with Bailey, Tyler and Jody, and Harry and Finn also joined in. It was fun, to be honest. Emily tried not to wallow in self pity as she played, the football taking her mind off it. When they were called in for dinner, Mike stopped Emily before she entered the kitchen.

"I'm sorry I couldn't speak to you earlier," he apologised.

"It's OK." She shrugged it off, moving to go into the kitchen.

"I'll try and sort something out, though," he added. She looked at him. Mike was wearing an expression of concern, so Emily plastered a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Mike," she said, going into the kitchen. He looked surprised, but her face fell as soon as she had turned her back on him.

Emily sat down next to Jody as the rest of the kids sat down at the table. Dinner was curry and rice, and the kids began to tuck in. The bread basket was passed down the table, and Emily took it from Ryan, who was sitting almost opposite her. Not feeling particularly hungry, Emily passed it onto Jody. The meal passed smoothly, with no arguments breaking out, though Emily could sense tension between Ryan and Johnny.

May-Li and Mike came in to start clearing away the table. Tee, Carmen and Kaz were on washing up duty but the rest of the kids went off to do their own thing. Emily went through to the living room and spotted her old shoes lying in the corner. She went and picked them up.

The soles were practically falling off, and they were scuffed to death. Emily sighed and made her way outside, carrying the shoes by the laces. Round the side of the house, she dumped her old shoes by the bins. She'd had them for years, but she was glad to finally part with them. Going back into the house, she started to climb the stairs.

"Hey, Emily!" Jody called. Emily turned to see the shorter girl at the bottom of the stairs. "Fancy a game of pool?" She asked.

"Um, no thanks," Emily mumbled, "I'm quite tired."

"Oh, OK," Jody replied, sounding slightly disappointed. Then she grinned. "Be up bright and early for training tomorrow!"

Emily nodded with a smile.

"Us girls have got to win!" Jody added, running back into the living room.

Emily went upstairs and closed her bedroom door behind her. Sitting down on her bed, she got out her phone and entered the numbers for her mum. She found that she was able to use her new phone quite easily, even though the one that had got broken at least a year ago had been ancient. Her thumb hovered over the key to call her mum's mobile. She sighed and put her phone down on her bedside table.

* * *

The following morning, Mischief ran back into the front garden, tongue lolling out and tail wagging. Bailey ran after him with a grin. He quickly replaced Mischief's lead and led him round the side of the house. Mischief went back in his kennel for a drink of water as Jody came outside, fully dressed.

"What you doin' up so early?" Bailey asked. He was wearing his usual polo-shirt and tracksuit bottoms combo, and Jody was clad in her blue jeans and a grey t-shirt. Mischief lay down, his head on his paws. He eyed the both of them, his head poking out of his kennel.

"To train, of course," Jody said matter-of-factly, "For the football match."

"Oh, yeah, good luck with that," Bailey said with a smirk.

"Well, bagsy the back garden for my team," Jody said quickly.

"Aw, fine," Bailey agreed, "Us boys will practise out front. You girls will need a proper pitch."

"Try not to break any windows," Jody said with a grin.

"Hey, that wasn't even me!" Bailey protested.

Jody smirked. "Game at five?" she asked.

"Game at five," he repeated. They bumped fists and went back into the house.

Emily was in bed, trying in vain to fall back to sleep. The bright sunlight streamed through a gap in her curtains and the multi-coloured striped wallpaper was way too happy that morning. She buried her head in the duvet and thought about calling her mum again, just to say thanks for the clothes, you know. There was a loud knock at the door.

"Go away, Ryan!" she yelled. The door opened hesitantly, and Jody poked her head around the door. "Oh, uh, sorry, Jody," Emily mumbled.

"It's OK," Jody said easily, but looked confused. "Why did you think I was _Ryan_?"

"No reason," Emily muttered, throwing off the covers and sitting up. "Is this bright an early?" She squinted slightly as Jody came in and opened the curtains.

"Yep," Jody said, "I need my team in top shape if we're to win the Dumping Ground football match."

"Who made you captain?" Emily said jokingly as she stood up.

"I did," Jody answered with a shrug. "Now, go have a shower and report back here in ten minutes."

"Report back to my own room?" Emily asked dubiously. Jody was already dressed and had her hair scraped back into a long ponytail. "All right," she agreed, "I am looking forward to the game."

"Yes," Jody said cheerfully, "Here." She handed Emily the blue dressing gown that had hung on the back of her door.

"You can cut the labels off my new clothes if you want," Emily said, "But only look in the bags, OK?"

"Sure," Jody replied easily, "I know what people here are like about privacy."

"Thanks," Emily muttered. "Sure the bathroom's free?"

"Of course," Jody answered, "No one gets up at seven in the holidays."

"Seven," Emily groaned, "Well, see you in a bit."

Emily went off to the bathroom and Jody looked to the shopping bags. She shut Emily's bedroom door and found a little pair of scissors on Emily's dressing table. Jody began to look in all the bags. Emily's new clothes were really nice, she thought. She cut off the labels and placed the clothes, folded, on Emily's bed. Jody found the pair of white spotty converse and sighed, glancing at her own All Stars which were grey and a bit scuffed. The curly haired girl soon returned.

"Well, you're right," she said. "No one's up."

"Apart from Bailey," Jody said, standing up.

"Walking the dog, was he?" Emily said, hiding a smile.

"Yep," the shorter girl replied. "I'm gonna get the other girls up so we can get started before the boys."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Emily chuckled as Jody left the room and closed the door behind her.

Jody walked determinedly down the corridor, banging on all the girls' doors.

"Time to train for the DG football match!" she yelled as she made her way down the corridor.

"Go away, Jody!" Carmen protested from inside her pink room. Kaz glanced at her roommate and got up, opening the door curiously.

"Bit early, isn't it?" Tee asked, opening her door and squinting slightly.

"Not too early to beat the boys!" Jody replied, coming back down the corridor. Harry opened the door of the bedroom he shared with Finn and peered out. Floss came running down the corridor holding her toy giraffe, Jeff.

"Not you, Harry, you're not on our team," she said loudly, pushing him back into his room.

"Close the door, Harry," Finn mumbled from inside, "I want to sleep." Harry shrugged and closed the door.

"Why are you getting us up so early?" Kaz demanded, folding her arms.

Jody lowered her voice. "We need to get the training in if we're going to beat the boys," she said seriously. The girls had come out of their rooms and stood in their doorways. The twins rubbed their eyes sleepily but seemed eager to participate. Emily came out of her room, dressed and rubbing her hair with a towel. She stood next to Jody, clad in black jeans, a black and white striped long-sleeved top, and her all black converse.

"Right, then," Jody instructed, "Everyone needs to be dressed and ready in the next half hour so we can get our chores done. Then we can get started in the back garden."

"Oh, pull the other one, Jody," Carmen muttered, going back to her room.

"I am eager to beat the boys," said Kazima, "But I doubt an extra hour will help us."

"We'll come," said Toni. Jody nodded.

"All right," Tee agreed, "I may not actually play, but I can help with chores." She closed her bedroom door.

"I'm going t' get dressed then," said Floss. "We've got beat the boys!" she added in a yell before turning to run back to her room.

"Floss," Jody whisper-shouted.

"I will come down at eight," said Kaz, "No later."

"All right, but bring Carmen," Jody insisted.

"Why would I want to play football?" Carmen asked incredulously.

"Well, you did kick a ball through a window that one time," Jody said with a smirk.

"Kaz, close the door," Carmen said exasperatedly, and their bedroom door quietly shut.

"What do you want us to do?" Billie asked. Emily eyed the closed door of the spare staff bedroom and put a finger to her lips.

"Get dressed, and come downstairs when you're ready," Jody said in a hushed tone. "And try not to wake the boys."

The twins nodded and exchanged a smile, glad to be involved in the house activities. They went back into their room and closed the door behind them. Jody and Emily exchanged a grin. Jody offered the dark haired girl her hand, and Emily slapped it. They then rushed off downstairs. Emily put on some toast for the two of them as Jody surveyed what chores needed to be done.

"Right, out of the girls' chores this morning," Jody began, "Someone needs to: put the clothes on the line, put another load of washing on, vacuum the living room and... put the rubbish out."

"Doesn't sound like too much," Emily considered as she crossed to the fridge to get the butter. Jody nodded.

"We'll do the living room last," Jody said.

"Yeah, we don't want to wake the boys before we need to," Emily agreed. They munched on their toast as the twins came down. Billie wore dungaree-shorts with pink long-sleeved top and navy leggings, and Toni was wearing blue jeans, a light blue t-shirt and a purple cardigan.

"What chores need doing after breakfast?" Billie asked as Toni went to get the cereal.

"You two can put the clothes on the line," Jody instructed. The twins nodded and went about their breakfast. " _We're_ going to get that washing on." Emily followed Jody into the laundry room as the shorter girl moved the washing basket into the middle of the room.

"What needs washing?" Emily asked as she recognised the some of the contents of the basket as hers and Ryan's.

"Darks," Jody said, "So, pants and socks, basically."

"Great," Emily muttered. Jody opened the washing machine and filled a basket with the clean light-coloured clothes that had gone in the night before. The twins came in and took the basket and pegs outside.

"Makes you wish we could wear gloves," Jody remarked as she sorted through the laundry basket in front of her, which was full of everyone's dark clothes. Emily sighed and rolled her sleeves up. It wasn't like she had never put on washing before. All of the socks and red, black, blue and grey underwear went in the washing machine.

"We can put these in, too," Jody added, shoving a pair of black jeans and several dark t-shirts in as well. She put the washing machine on and Emily piled the rest of the clothes back into the basket, having left pink, orange and red clothes behind. Tee and Kaz came into the kitchen as the two of them left the laundry room. Floss came in as they sat down for breakfast.

"Doesn't seem very practical," Jody commented as Floss helped herself to cereal. The red haired girl was wearing a green dress with bright orange tights and pink converse.

"I'm not goin' to be playing," Floss said, as if it was obvious. "You need someone to spy on the other team."

"Good idea," said Kaz, as she finished her breakfast. "What needs doing?" she asked the girls.

"The rubbish needs putting out," Emily answered.

"I can do that," Kaz replied, taking the black bag out of the bin and going outside.

"What do you want me to do?" Tee asked over her bowl of cereal.

"You could sort us a mid-training session snack?" Jody suggested. "All the rest of the chores are down for the boys to do anyway, which they'll have to finish before they can start playing football."

"Yeah, good thinking," said Tee, getting up and putting her bowl by the sink. "How many people to a team, anyway?"

"I'll have to sort that out with Bailey," Jody replied, "But it'll probably be five-a-side."

" _I'll have to sort that out with Bailey_ ," Emily mocked in an undertone. Jody shot her a glare.

"I won't need to play then," said Tee, not hearing Emily's comment, "I'm pretty rubbish." She was wearing a pretty blue and purple patterned dress with a denim jacket. "I was kind of counting on that," she added with a shrug. At length, Carmen came downstairs in her usual pink jeans, paired with a white collared top and turquoise blazer.

"Have your breakfast," Jody ordered, "I'm going to vacuum the living room." Determinedly, she went and got the vacuum cleaner and headed straight for the living room. Emily heard the vacuum cleaner start up in the next room as the twins came back inside with an empty basket.

"Ehm, what is goin' on?" May-Li demanded. Emily, followed by the twins, went into the living room.

"Sorry, I can't hear you with this on!" Jody yelled over the noise.

"It's a bit early, isn't it?" May-Li shouted. She was still in her dressing gown as she had stayed overnight in the staff bedroom downstairs.

"Not it we want to win the football game!" Jody countered.

"What?" May-Li asked. Jody turned off the vacuum cleaner.

"We're getting all our chores done so we can practise for the football game," Jody explained.

"What football game? I'm confused," she replied.

"The Dumping Ground is having a football game," Toni piped up.

"Boys vs. Girls," Billie added.

"So you're doing all your chores for this morning so you can train?" May-Li asked. The girls nodded. "I see," she said with a smile. "In that case, I'll be sure to make the boys finish all their chores before they're allowed to practise."

"Yay!" Billie and Toni said happily. Jody went over to Emily for a high-five.

"You can be referee," Jody said decidedly.

"Yes," May-Li said, with a fist-pump. "Good luck, girls," she added, going back to her room.

Jody gave each of the twins a high-five before going to finish off the vacuuming. There was the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs over the noise of the vacuum cleaner. Tyler and Bailey came in. Johnny and Ryan soon followed, all but Bailey still in their pyjamas.

"What's going on?" Tyler demanded. Jody pretended not to hear him until she had finished.

"And I'm done," she declared, as she switched off the vacuum cleaner.

"Hey, that's not fair," Bailey grumbled.

"Why are you doing chores so early?" Johnny asked.

"Yeh, it's the holidays," Ryan agreed.

"It's never too early to start training," Emily said, before ushering the twins back through to the kitchen.

"Yeah, have fun losing when your team haven't put the hours in," Jody added mockingly, taking the vacuum cleaner out of the room.

"Is this about the football game?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"We'd better get started with us boys, then," Johnny said with a smirk.

"Right," Jody said, when the girls were assembled in the back garden. "Which of you are already good at football?" Emily reluctantly put her hand up. No one else did. "Are you kidding me?" Jody complained.

"Toni is!" Billie put in, earning a frown from her sister.

"Right, so we've got three," Jody said. " _We_ have got a lot of work to do."

The girls eyed her dubiously.

They began by warming up. The Jody got the football from the shed and got the girls doing basic exercises to learn how to control the ball. Tee got some speakers from the living room and connected them up to her phone, and soon the girls were kicking the ball around to music. Floss sat on the bench next to the blond girl as they watched the others training.

"I've got nothing to do, because the other team haven't started training yet," Floss explained.

"You're gonna spy on them, are you?" Tee asked with a smile.

"Not like that, Carmen!" Jody yelled.

"How was I supposed to know?" Carmen demanded.

"You do it like this," Jody said, demonstrating kicking the ball with the side of her foot. She passed ball back to the older girl. "You're actually doing really well."

"Aw, thanks," Carmen said modestly. After half an hour, they had a break.

"Well done, guys," said Jody. "We'll take five."

"I'll get you all some drinks," said Tee, getting up from her seat.

"Cool," said Emily. She put her hands on her hips and caught her breath.

"Are you sure we'll win?" Toni asked doubtfully.

"I'm not sure of anything at the moment," Jody admitted.

"But the boys haven't even started yet," Billie said.

"That's true," said Kaz. "At least we'll have put more effort in."

"Yeah," Jody agreed.

Tee went into the kitchen to make squash for all of the girls. The boys were rushing around frantically, trying to get their chores done. May-Li was standing in the kitchen doorway, amused. Tee moved past her brother to get the squash from the cupboard. He smiled and passed her a stack of cups.

"Hey, don't help them," Bailey said, annoyed.

"They need all the help they can get," Ryan said with a smirk.

"All right, calm down," Johnny said, raising both hands. Tee went back outside with a jug of orange squash.

"Thanks, Tee!" Floss said cheerfully as she got the first drink.

"Oi, _you_ weren't even playing," Jody uttered.

"Football's not my thing," Floss said decidedly. "But dancin' is."

After they were all satisfied, Tee went and sat back down.

"Hit the music!" Floss demanded. Tee chose a song and pressed play. _Immortals_ by Fall Out Boy started blaring from the speakers. Floss ran to the front of the group with delight and broke out into a dance routine. Jody and Emily grinned at each other and began to dance to the song, the other girls joining in with smiles. Tee turned it up.

The boys heard the music from the kitchen and rushed to see what the girls were up to. They saw the girls on the lawn, all following Floss's leading dance moves. Ryan and Johnny exchanged an incredulous glance. Harry and Finn began to laugh, but the other boys seemed impressed.

"Want to join in, Bailey?" Jody yelled as she fist-pumped in sync with the rest of the girls.

"Are you kidding me?" he shouted. "That ain't football."

"No, it's way more fun!" Floss insisted.

"Come on, lads," Bailey said, dragging the rest of the boys away from the scene. The girls laughed as the boys disappeared and the song ended.

"We should have a dance competition," said Floss.

"Yeah, we'd totally win that," Carmen put in.

"Who cares about football?" Jody said flippantly, "We'd slay the boys in a dance-off!"

"Did I just hear Jody Jackson say 'who cares about football'?" Emily asked, sounding incredulous. The twins giggled.

"Come on, girls," Jody grumbled, and they went back to their training.

Sometime later, Floss sneaked around to the front garden where the boys were practising their football skills.

"Now, it's all about control," Bailey began, "Concentrate, Tyler! I'm your captain, so you have to do what I say."

"Who made you captain?" Ryan asked snidely.

"I did," Bailey said shortly. "I know the most about football, so let's get started."

Floss peered around the side of the house to come face to face with Finn.

"Floss?" he asked in surprise.

"Finn!" she exclaimed. "You were going to spy on us."

"You were spying on us, too," he said.

"Fine, no one is allowed to spy on the other team," Floss insisted.

"OK," Finn said, "Deal." They shook hands and went back to their teams.

At lunch time, the two teams came in for lunch and sat down at the table.

"Can't we have the back garden to train in?" Bailey asked pleadingly.

"All right," Jody agreed, "But we get it back at three."

"When's the game?" May-Li asked, passing the sandwiches around.

"Five," Bailey and Jody answered simultaneously, and then exchanged rather awkward glances.

"Better get back practising, then," said May-Li.

After the lunch had been cleared away, May-Li let them all off chores when they went back to train some more for the match. The girls decided to hang out in the living room for a bit, since they had started way earlier than the boys anyway, and would have to play football on the front lawn. Tyler came in with a large sign that read "DG Football Match".

"DG football match, the best the DG has ever seen!" he chanted. "A legendary match will take place this afternoon, expect the boys to win!"

"Oh, get out, Tyler," Jody said gruffly.

"What's this about?" Mike asked, coming into the living room.

"DG football game, May-Li's the referee, and you can... watch!" Tyler rambled.

"Oi, Tyler, what you playin' at?" Bailey yelled, storming into the room.

"I'm advertising!" Tyler protested.

"Everybody already knows about it, you div," Bailey said angrily, "We're meant to be training, not skiving like this lot."

"Well, we've already put our practise in," said Jody, "And we're having the back garden at three."

"Fine, whatever," Bailey muttered, ushering Tyler back outside.

Mike was holding a white envelope and went over to Emily.

"Here, this came in the post for you," he said. Emily didn't recognise the handwriting but took it anyway. Aware of the girls staring at her, she went up to her room and shoved it in her drawer with her notebook. She decided to wait until later to open it.

At a couple of minutes to three, Jody, Emily and the twins snuck outside to get a look at their competition. Bailey was running up and down the pitch, instructing the boys. Mo and Finn watched from the sidelines as Bailey got annoyed. Ryan had the ball and Johnny ran in for a tackle.

"Hey, watch it!" Ryan snapped.

"You watch it," Johnny retorted.

"Hey, no fightin' on my team," Bailey said sternly. "We all know how to tackle. Just get on with it."

"Can't we have the pitch now?" Jody asked, coming into view.

"Yeah, sure," Bailey said easily, "We're ready to smash you."

"Good luck with that," Jody replied, watching the boys make their way back into the house. The twins went to fetch the rest of the girls, and they got in another hour of practise.

The time had arrived. The teams were assembled in the back garden. Bailey's team consisted of Johnny, Ryan, Tyler and Harry. For the girls, Jody, Emily, Toni, Kaz and Carmen were playing. May-Li blew her ref's whistle and the game began.

Bailey quickly scored the first goal. Jody was the next to score. The teams seemed evenly matched at the start, as most of the boys were reluctant to be rough with their opposition. Carmen gained possession of the ball and Johnny tried to block her.

"Just tackle her, man!" Bailey yelled.

"How?" Johnny protested, "She's a girl!"

Carmen quickly passed to Emily who went to score. Ryan gave her a shove with his shoulder and she was thrown to the ground.

"Penalty!" May-Li yelled, blowing her whistle.

"Ryan, you idiot!" Bailey complained.

"Sorry," Ryan said sarcastically, putting his hands up.

Emily lined up the ball and went to score. But Tyler, who was playing as goalkeeper, managed to catch the ball. She sighed as the half-time whistle sounded. It was one-all.

"Hey," said Johnny, catching Ryan's arm. Ryan turned to scowl at him. "Maybe we should make up," Johnny suggested, "Seeing as we're on the same team, and all."

Ryan sighed. "All right," he agreed.

"I'm sorry I pushed you over," Johnny said.

"I'm sorry I said yew were pathetic," Ryan apologised. They bumped fists and went to get a drink from Mike. The two teams eyed each other during the half-time. Jody gathered her team around her.

"All right, girls," she said, "We're gonna play the best we can, don't be afraid to be rough with them, just don't knock anyone over."

"Yeah, the boys won't be eager to tackle us," Emily added, "As we've seen with Carmen and Johnny."

Carmen flushed bright red. Billie came to join her sister and they exchanged a knowing look. Soon it was time to play again. The two teams took their places on the pitch. The game continued to be fast-paced as neither team managed to score a goal. Emily passed to Jody who saw an opportunity.

"Toni!" she yelled, passing the ball to the younger girl. Toni got the ball and dodged past Harry, sending it flying through the goal posts as Tyler took a dive. It sailed past him and he fell to the ground. "Yes!" Jody cried, as the rest of the girls hugged each other and chanted Toni's name. The whistle sounded and they played on.

Ryan came towards Emily with the ball. She tried to block him as he neared the goal. Kaz got into position in the goal to stop him from scoring. Ryan smirked as he dribbled the ball around Toni.

"What was in that letter, then?" he asked snidely, "Your dad paying you attention, now?"

Emily glared at him and ran at him. She tackled him round the waist and they both went flying to the ground. Johnny took the opportunity to score a goal before the whistle sounded. Two-all. Ryan pushed Emily off him.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"You can't control me, Ryan Reeves," Emily snapped, getting up and brushing down her jeans. Ryan got up as May-Li came over.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothing," Emily and Ryan said in unison, then looked away from each other.

"Well, I'm afraid that's a penalty," May-Li said. Emily groaned.

"What are you playing at?" Jody demanded. Emily said nothing as Bailey let Harry take the penalty shot. Kaz saved the goal and Ryan patted Harry encouragingly on the back. The game continued.

"Five minutes left!" May-Li yelled.

Everything seemed to go into slow-motion as the last minute of the game took place. Harry had the ball, passed it to Johnny who quickly passed it on to Bailey. Ryan got in Jody's way so she couldn't get the ball from the dark-skinned boy. Bailey dodged past Emily and scored. Kaz got up, looking disappointed. The whistle sounded, and the boys had won. The boys all cheered and went to high-five each other. The girls stood apart, exchanging awkward and disappointed glances.

Dinner consisted of the boys rubbing it in the girls' faces. They girls rather glumly went off to bed after doing their share of the chores. Emily went back to her room and closed the door behind her. She got out the envelope and sat on her bed. Gingerly, she opened it and pulled out the piece of paper, unfolding it. Her eyes fell to the name at the bottom of the page. Something more important than their football game. Ryan was right.

It was from her dad.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **How will Emily react to the letter, and what does it say?  
What will she confront Ryan about?  
And what dragons must Johnny face before he leaves?**

 **Catch the next chapter on Tuesday, though it can be sooner, if ya guys want...**

 **A very Merry Christmas to you all!**


	18. 18: Tough Soldier

**Hey, readers!**

 **Firstly, thank you so much for 4,000 views, you guys are awesome! :D**

 **Secondly, I'm so so sorry I didn't update yesterday like I said I would! I've had quite a bit of studying to do, and I didn't want this chapter to be rushed and not as good as it could be, so I thought it would be better to just update a day later. Hope you're not too annoyed with me! Here's an even longer chapter than usual, though!  
**

 **Thanks for your reviews on my Dumping Ground One-Shot, as well, I'm glad those of you who read it enjoyed it!**

 **Today's special mention goes to 'Fanatic1234' who has left some lovely reviews recently!**

 **Also, note that the 'DG Fan Club' is open to all! Love to see you there :)**

 **Enjoy, guys xx**

* * *

 **LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Emily returns to The Dumping Ground after receiving Jody's text.  
The girls get up early to train for the DG football match, but the boys win.  
Emily gets a letter and discovers that it is from her father.**

* * *

Chapter 18: Tough Soldier

Emily's hands shook as she gripped the piece of paper. The handwriting was her father's; she recognised the rounded scrawl. She breathed heavily, tears coming to her eyes. Ryan was right, her dad _had_ written to her. With a shaky breath, Emily turned the letter over and began to read.

 _Dear Emily,_ it read,

 _How are you?_

 _I know things didn't turn out how we wanted. But we're both better off where we are for now. I've been told you're living in a kids' home, how's that going for you? Must be lots of kids there your own age, I hope you're doing OK._

 _I've been doing really well at the centre. I have a nice room, the staff are friendly and I've met a few nice blokes. I've been off the booze for days now! It was hard at first but I'm feeling better for it. I know it's been hard for you since your mum left, but I've been seeing a counsellor for my depression. I know it sounds scary, but don't worry, I'll be better soon._

 _I was encouraged to write you a letter, so I made sure I would write you a nice long one to make up for not seeing you. It's only been a week or so, but it feels so much longer. You were my anchor, girl. I'm sorry I couldn't be a proper dad to you. I promise to take good care of you when we're allowed to live under the same roof again. I'm learning to be better for you, my girl._

 _I heard your mum came to see you. No doubt she turned up with some sorry present for you. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't want to see her again, but she is your mum. But be careful, Emily. She may come swanning in to shower you with gifts, but I'm telling you, be careful. You don't know what she could be hiding from you, I'm speaking from experience._

 _I know that I wouldn't have been able to write you this letter a week ago, but I promise you, Emily, I'll never touch the stuff again, not if it keeps us apart. We won't be seeing each other for a while. But if you forgive me and want to write back, ask your care worker to post it for you. Don't try and come and see me here, they won't let you in. Besides, I'm not looking my best,_

 _Stay strong, my tough little girl_

 _See you soon, beautiful,_

 _Love, Dad_

Emily's eyes were full of tears by the time she reached the end. She blinked, letting the drips of water slide down her cheeks. She read through the letter again, her body beginning to shake with sobs. She felt like she couldn't move, and tried to breathe, but the only breaths she could manage came in gasps. She closed her eyes tight and tried to stop her panic taking control of her.

When she could breathe again, Emily clambered to her feet and changed into her pyjamas. She stuffed the letter and its envelope in the drawer and got out her notebook. She sat down on her bed and found a pen. She wrote on the last page, feeling like it had been ages since her last entry.

 _Lara was more confused than ever. She knew she would have to stay at The Dumping Ground for a while. But now that she had seen her mum, and had a letter from her dad, she wasn't sure what to do. The good news was that her dad was fine. But they weren't going to be seeing each other for some time. Lara didn't want to go and live with her mum, it would be like living with a stranger. The Dumping Ground would be better for now._

 _But Lara didn't know what to make of it. Lewis had told her about Joe's supposed intentions towards her, and that he was only faking being nice to her. But he would be leaving in two days. Plus, Lara had to do everything Lewis told her, because she had lost that stupid bet of theirs. She might have liked him otherwise. Did she really think that? Jules was her only friend there, but maybe even she was only pretending to be nice._

 _Maybe it would be better if she went somewhere else._

Emily sighed and put her notebook away. The last page had been filled. Perhaps a new chapter of her life would be starting. Emily snuck out into the corridor and hurried to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Luckily, she met no one on the way, or the way back. She went back to her room and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Emily woke with her pillow damp with tears. She remembered crying herself to sleep, but thankfully hadn't been plagued with any nightmares. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over, picking up her sleek new phone. She turned it on, and again her thumb hovered over her mum's number. With a sigh, she put down her phone as she heard footsteps and quiet voices in the corridor. She pushed back the covers and inched closer to the door.

"You're up early," she heard Johnny say.

"It's not that early," protested the voice, which Emily recognised as Carmen's.

"Don't want to come for a run with me, d'you?" Johnny asked jokingly.

"You are joking me," Carmen muttered, though Emily could sense a smile in her voice. "Have fun, though."

"Running isn't much fun," Johnny said, "But I can't miss a day, it'll throw off my training."

"Yeah," Carmen sighed. There was a pause. "I will miss you, you know."

"Yeah, I'll miss you, too, Carmen," Johnny replied. "Besides, we've already had this conversation."

"About five times," Carmen added. The two of them fell silent, and Emily heard footsteps in the corridor.

Carmen and Johnny looked up to see Ryan coming down the corridor with a slight spring in his step. Johnny was dressed in his shorts and zip-up hoodie and trainers, ready for his run, but Carmen was still in her pyjamas and fluffy pink dressing gown. Ryan was wearing his black jeans, converse and a dark red hoodie. He nodded at them.

"All right, mate?" Johnny greeted him, then turned back to Carmen. "Well, I'll see you when I get back."

"Yeah, see you," Carmen said, as the tall boy went past Ryan and downstairs. She smiled slightly, then coughed awkwardly. "Is the bathroom free, do you know?"

"Yeh, should be," Ryan replied easily, then glanced back as she went up the corridor and out of sight. He knocked on Emily's door.

Emily jumped at the sudden noise. She rolled her eyes as she remembered why Ryan would be knocking at her door. She wasn't surprised. Welcome to day three of being Ryan's personal slave. She opened the door and stared at the boy.

He raised an eyebrow, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Emily noted that the dark red suited his pale skin tone, and the change from collared shirts into the casual jumper made him seem younger. She sighed and levelled her gaze. The corner of his mouth twitched in a slight smirk.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. He seemed surprised, perhaps having expected a hostile instruction to leave.

"Well, yew can put the bins out," he said, "I would have had to do that this morning." He paused and looked at her. "Got that letter then?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. She swallowed and felt tears coming to her eyes so she looked at the floor.

"Y'know what," Ryan said unexpectedly, "Put the rubbish out, then yew can have the rest of the day off."

"I'm sorry – what?" Emily uttered, blinking at the boy. He put on a casual expression.

"You're excused from doing my chores," he said. "I won't make yeh do stuff for me."

"Right," she said slowly. "Well, I'm sorry for pushing you over yesterday during the football game." She sensed Ryan's proposition was his way of apologising.

"It's alright," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "We all make mistakes."

"OK," Emily muttered.

"We were always gonna win, though," Ryan added mischievously.

"Want me to take back that apology?" Emily asked mildly. Ryan grinned and shook his head. "Well, I'm going to get dressed and put the bins out, then," she added, watching as he turned and went down the corridor. She shook her head in disbelief as she closed her door.

Emily left her room dressed in her blue jeans and red plaid shirt, which she wore open over a black t-shirt. She had tied her hair back in a ponytail with the hair tie she had found lying around, and wore her new white converse which had navy spots. It sounded as though most of the house was still asleep as Emily went down the stairs, folding her sleeves up as she went. She went straight to the bin and took the bag outside, smiling slightly as she noticed her old battered converse were still lying by the bin. When she went back inside, Johnny was finishing his breakfast in the kitchen.

"Oh, hey, Emily," he said with a smile.

"Hi, Johnny," she replied, washing her hands at the sink.

"Um, I've been meaning to tell you," he began, and Emily's hands froze under the running water. She got a hold of herself and turned off the tap.

"What?" she asked, turning to find Johnny standing in front of her with a towel in his hands. She took it.

"Uh, just, what Ryan might have been saying to you," he continued, "About me?"

"Oh, nothing much," Emily mumbled.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm not pretending to be nice to you," he said, "And that I'm not expecting anything in return."

Emily nodded. "You like Carmen, anyway," she said, tossing the hand towel to one side and getting some bread to put in the toaster.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked dubiously.

"No," Emily laughed, "But now I know for sure."

"Oh, very funny," he said with a frown.

"Have fun on your run," Emily said, raising her eyebrows at him as she put two slices into the toaster. She didn't feel too upset that morning. It was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Not all hope was lost, as he dad was all right. She didn't even care if she had to be bossed about by Ryan again, but interestingly, that was no longer a problem.

"Why does everyone think I'll have fun?" he grumbled. "Anyway, see you later," he added, a little more brightly.

"Yeah, see you," she returned as Johnny left the room. The toast popped and Emily put it on a plate, getting the butter from the fridge. She decided to put another two slices on, for whoever came down next wanting toast. Emily just put butter on her toast and was putting the butter back in the fridge as someone came into the kitchen.

Ryan entered with a frown on his face and brow furrowed. He rubbed his forehead as he came through the doors to the kitchen. Emily picked up her plate and glanced at Ryan. She raised her eyebrows in thought.

"There's another two slices on," she said, going past him.

"What?" he asked distractedly. He looked round at her.

"If you want toast, I put some more on," she said, smiling awkwardly and taking her toast into the living room. "Oh, hey, Bailey," she said, as the boy came in from the garden.

"Awright," he mumbled, slumping down on the sofa. Emily sat on the other sofa and ate her toast in silence. Bailey rubbed his face with his hand and sighed. There were footsteps on the stairs as Jody, Tyler and Mo came down into the living room.

"Morning, Bailey," Jody said cheerfully, flicking her ponytail to the side. She flopped down next to him.

"Morning, Bailey," Tyler mocked in an undertone. Jody rolled her eyes as Emily hid a smile. "Well, I'm starving, is anyone else up yet?"

"Johnny's gone for a run," Emily filled in, "And... Ryan's in the kitchen." Tyler nodded and went to get his breakfast.

"Morning, Mo," Emily said. He glanced round in surprise.

"Good morning," he said with a grin. "I'm going to check on my plants," he added. "Want to come?"

"Lame," Bailey muttered under his breath, earning him a punch on the arm from Jody.

"Sure," Emily said, getting up to follow him.

"Well, I'm going to get some breakfast," said Jody.

"I fancy a second breakfast, myself," Bailey chuckled, getting up. The two of them went into the kitchen.

Mo was at the back door as Emily entered the kitchen. She caught Ryan's eye and he quickly looked away. She followed Mo outside to the bottom of the garden. He knelt down in the vegetable patch, getting the knees of his beige trousers dirty.

"Everyone's going to be really busy today," said Mo. Emily crouched beside him.

"Why's that?" she asked, watching as Mo gently moved the lettuce leaves to the side.

"'Cause Johnny's leaving tomorrow," he replied. "Can you get that watering can?" He gestured to a bright yellow watering can that was next to the shed.

"Yeah, sure," she said, going over to fetch it. "It's empty, though."

"You can fill it up in the kitchen," said Mo, peering at her from behind his large glasses.

"OK," Emily laughed. She went to the kitchen where most of the kids now were. The kitchen was busy as the kids milled around getting their breakfast. Emily filled the watering can at the sink until it was quite heavy. Picking it up, it tilted and the water nearly sloshed out.

"Ooh, careful," said Ryan, catching her elbow. They stared at each other.

"Thanks," Emily said slowly, securing the watering can in both hands.

"What're yeh doin'?" he asked curiously.

"Helping Mo," she said shortly, "Why so interested?" she shot back, raising her eyebrows at him. He seemed at a loss for a moment, before frowning and turning away. Emily went back outside to the vegetable patch. "Here," she said, handing him the watering can.

Mo began to water the vegetables and Emily sat on the wall. Some time passed and neither of them said anything. The sky brightened and Emily basked in the warm sunlight. She almost felt at home. The two of them then exchanged a glance as they heard voices in the front yard.

"Epic fail!" she heard Bailey jeer as she rounded the side of the house. Johnny had got back from his run and Tee was standing behind him. As Emily approached, she saw Johnny give Bailey a shove. Mike came out of the house and broke the boys apart. Johnny stormed in as Tee looked concerned. Emily went over to her to see Bailey put an arm around Finn and start off down the road.

"Is everything OK?" she asked as Mike went back inside after Johnny.

"No, not really," said Tee, her lower lip trembling. "Mum's ex-boyfriend Keith has come out of prison." Emily frowned. "He's the reason me and Johnny are in care."

"I'm sure everything will be all right," Emily said, giving Tee a hug. "You'll see."

"You're sounding rather positive this morning," Tee said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Emily said sheepishly, trying to keep the grin off her face. "It's my dad." Tee looked expectantly at her. "Well, he's all right."

"You've heard from him?" Tee asked. Emily nodded. "That's great!" She gave her arm a squeeze, but soon resumed her worried expression. "I'm going to find Carmen." She turned to go back into the house, throwing a sour glance at Ryan, who came outside.

"Aw, Tee's got better friends than you," he said, "That hurt much?"

"Shut up, Ryan," Emily said, shoving past him into the house. She went into the living room to find Kaz reading a book, and Tyler and Jody at the pool table. The twins passed through, followed by Floss and Harry. Emily flopped down on the sofa opposite the girl.

"You look like you could use a good book," Kaz commented with a smile.

"Got one I could borrow?" Emily asked. Kaz pointed to the bookshelf.

"The ones on the middle shelf are the best," she said, "I organised them myself."

"Thanks," Emily replied, going over to the bookshelf and crouching down in front of it. She ran her finger along the spines of the books. She found The Chronicles of Narnia – all the books in the series were there – and she chose the first one, The Magician's Nephew, deciding to read them through from the beginning. Emily had read the first few when she was little, but didn't remember too much of the story, only that it had been very exciting. She settled down on the sofa and began to read.

Then it was lunchtime, so Emily helped set the table and they all sat down for lunch. Johnny looked angry as he sat down next to his sister. When everyone had finished, there was a knock at the door. Floss ran to get it, coming back to inform Johnny and Tee that their mum was there. Johnny and Tee left the table as everyone else helped clear up. Emily then took her book outside.

She went out, sitting down on the grass against the wall of the house. She opened the book but looked up as Ryan came outside. He picked up the basketball from under the post and bounced it a few times. His head snapped up as he noticed Emily there, some distance behind him. She glanced back down at the page as Ryan went on to shoot a few hoops. Emily watched him over the pages of her book, which she rested on her bent knees. Johnny then came out, looking extremely annoyed about something.

Emily found her gaze drawn to the two boys. Ryan was quick on his feet and could easily defend. But then Johnny shoved his shoulder against Ryan's chest and got the ball in the basket, slamming his fist on the pole. Ryan looked affronted but stepped back and surveyed his friend. Hands in pockets, he put forward his proposition.

"You've got t' take him on, haven't yeh?" he said provokingly.

"I can't," Johnny said, turning round, "He's well stronger than me."

"Well, he must have a weak spot," Ryan considered. Johnny thought about it, then looked at Ryan. "And trust me," he affirmed, "We'll find it."

Johnny sighed and folded his arms. "All right," he agreed.

"Let's go, then," Ryan said with a nod. Johnny went back into the house and Ryan paused in front of Emily. She looked up at him. "Yew say nothin', got it?" he hissed.

"Thought I got the day off," Emily remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll say nothin'," he repeated, "Or I can call yer mum."

"Right," Emily muttered, feeling her phone in her pocket. "Fine, I won't tell anyone." She got up and headed down the lawn. Ryan glanced back with a smirk before going into the house.

When Emily went back inside, Ryan and Johnny still hadn't returned. Kaz walked into the kitchen, where Tee and Carmen were, holding a piece of yellow card. It was but in the shape of a medal. Emily sat down at the table.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Er, yeah, it's great," Tee muttered, before putting her phone to her ear.

"Johnny's not answering his phone," Carmen explained, raising her eyebrows. Emily nodded.

"Did he go out?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah, apparently," Carmen replied.

The twins stormed in and stood at the worktop, resting their heads in their hands.

"What's up with you two?" Carmen asked, eyeing their sullen faces.

"Ask her," Toni muttered.

"'Her' has got a name, you know," said May-Li. Finn came in from the garden.

"If you're looking for Mr Nibbles," he said, "He's outside with Floss." Toni turned to go.

"How about a drink and a biscuit?" May-Li asked, holding out a clear plastic container of biscuits. "Take 'em outside if you want," she offered. Toni shook her head and ran outside.

"I'll have a biscuit," said Finn, reaching for the box. May-Li smiled and offered him one.

"How about you, Billie?" she asked. Billie moodily took a biscuit.

"You should tell her," Finn said seriously.

"Tell me what?" May-Li asked. Finn put the biscuit in his mouth and went round the worktop. He took May-Li's hand and Billie's, and led them out of the kitchen. Tee put down her phone with a sigh. Emily swallowed guiltily and kept her eyes glued to the page.

"Stop stressing," Carmen told her, "He's going to be back any minute."

Kaz began colouring in the big card for Johnny.

A little while later, Johnny and Ryan came into the kitchen. Kaz and Carmen scrambled to hide the card from view. Ryan was wearing his black denim jacket that always had the sleeves folded up once. They both looked rather pleased with themselves.

"Where have you been?" Tee demanded.

"Don't worry, problem's solved," Johnny assured her. Emily closed her book and came to lean on the worktop next to Tee.

"The dream team," Ryan added. Emily cringed.

"Really?" she remarked.

"Johnny have you been near Keith?" Tee asked worriedly.

"I said don't worry," Johnny said, "He won't be bothering us anymore."

"Mum told you to stay away from him!" Tee exclaimed.

"Good job he didn't listen, then," Ryan said smugly. Johnny raised his eyebrows and left the kitchen, followed closely by his sister.

"You're an idiot," Emily muttered.

"Yeh what?" he uttered.

"If Johnny's in trouble, it's going to be your fault," she said. She scowled at her and left the room.

A while later, Johnny and Tee were called into the office. Emily leaned on the doorframe of the living room as a man, a woman and a baby went into the office with Mike. The man looked scary and Emily glanced behind to see Ryan eyeing the scene before them. She narrowed her eyes and he quickly ran past her and up the stairs. Emily purposefully followed him. She banged into his bedroom as he turned to face her, a scornful expression on his face.

"What have you done?" she demanded.

"Nothin'," he said with a shrug.

"Then why has Tee and Johnny's scary stepfather turned up, then?" she retorted.

"I dunno," he said evasively, "Must've seen us."

"What _exactly_ were you and Johnny doing?" she questioned, folding her arms.

"Y'know, just caught him in the act," he replied, copying her movements.

"Well, what if you've got it wrong?" Emily worried. "He seemed really angry." She looked at him. "Ryan, Tee told me he's the reason she and Johnny are in care."

"Not my problem," he said with a shrug, flopping down on his bed. She lay back and reached for a magazine on the bedside table. Emily slammed her hand down on it and he looked at her, affronted.

"I don't know what Keith did to Johnny and Tee," Emily said, "But I can imagine that they're in care for a _very_ good reason. He was in prison, for goodness' sake!"

"Like I said, no my problem," he muttered, slapping her hand away and picking up the magazine. "Johnny wanted to do it."

"Yeah, after you put the idea into his head," Emily said sarcastically. "You know," she went on, beginning to pace the large room, "You're always doing that." Ryan didn't reply. "You put ideas in people's heads, only they think that they came up with it themselves. Like, with my mum."

"Child's play," Ryan scoffed.

"It worked though," Emily muttered. She stopped pacing and looked at him. He was leisurely stretched out, one knee bent with his magazine propped up on it. "What's your game, Ryan?" she asked intently. His head snapped up and he stared at her, dropping the magazine. He pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Game?" he repeated.

"You act differently towards pretty much everyone here," Emily explained, "First you were nice to me, then we made that bet and you were suddenly horrible. You were sweet and innocent to my mother; you're nice to Harry, but not really that friendly towards anyone else. I know something went on between you and Johnny, and frankly, I don't care what it was. But now, you could have got him into trouble, and you don't even care."

He just shrugged.

"You actually made me believe that crap about Johnny," she went on. "Do you lie to everyone?"

"I wouldn't call it lying," he said, leaning forward slightly. "But this game, it's mine."

She stared at him.

"I make the rules," he said dangerously, "And I _always_ win."

Emily set her jaw. "Well, good luck with that. I'm not going to take your crap anymore, Ryan. I don't even know _who_ to believe, thanks to you." She started out of the room.

"Just so long as people believe me," Ryan said with all seriousness. Emily paused and threw a backwards glance at the boy, whose eyes were narrowed. She quickly left the room.

When she got downstairs, the people had gone and the mood was rather subdued. Tee wasn't speaking to Johnny, and went straight to her room. Dinner was served and Emily carefully refrained from eye contact with Ryan. The little kids chattered happily, but Billie and Toni still looked upset. Emily learned that this was because of a rabbit that had been found in the garden. The kids did their chores and went up to bed.

* * *

The next morning when Emily got up, Johnny had already gone out for his run. Emily went down for breakfast, and checked the chores rota. Ryan was supposed to put the dry dishes away from the night before. Emily shrugged and went over to the dish rack. She began to stack up the plates, before putting them back in the cupboard. She got out a bowl to have cereal before anyone else appeared in the kitchen.

"Morning, Emily," said May-Li, who was dressed in a bright red shirt, a cream cardigan, and black skinny jeans.

"Morning, May-Li," she replied.

"Oh, looks like Ryan has already done his chores," May-Li said as she opened the fridge, sounding a little confused.

"Yeah, he just went to get dressed," Emily said evasively, cursing herself for covering for Ryan.

"OK," she replied. "We're throwing a goodbye party for Johnny today," she went on, "Fancy lending a hand?"

"Sure," Emily agreed, getting up to put her bowl and spoon in the sink. With a smile, she left the kitchen as the twins came through. Emily went into the living room to find Jody, Bailey and Tyler lounging on the sofas. She nodded her head as she passed, only to smack into Ryan in the hallway.

"Uh, it's you," he muttered, going to move past her. She placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He was still wearing his grey pyjamas.

"Ryan, you have to get dressed," she said.

"Says yew," he muttered, eyeing Emily's borrowed pyjamas.

"No," she insisted, "May-Li thinks you've already done your chores, because I did them. I told her you went to get dressed, so..." She gave him a little push to turn around.

"Yew did my chores?" he asked in disbelief. "But, I didn't tell you to."

"Well, apparently I didn't get today off," Emily muttered, "Just thought it might be easier just to put the dishes away."

"Thanks," he said slowly, then looked at her. "Fancy making me breakfast while yer at it?"

"Don't push it," she said, rolling her eyes. He grinned.

"Hey, I thought I tell you what to do," he said, half-seriously.

"Only for three more days after today," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Go on, then." She ushered him up the stairs, and he complied, Emily following. They both went to get dressed.

They happened to come downstairs at the same time. Ryan was wearing a maroon top with his black skinny jeans, with a light grey jacket that had darker grey sleeves thrown over the top. Emily wore her black skinny jeans, green t-shirt and blue denim shirt which she wore open. They went into the kitchen and Ryan made himself some breakfast.

A little while later, Emily went back into the kitchen to find Toni sitting in front of a rabbit cage. The preparations for the party were in full swing. The banner had gone up as Tee and Carmen came into the room. Tee still looked annoyed.

"It's for Johnny. Do you like it?" Harry asked.

"Looks good, mate," said Ryan, clapping a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"As long as no one expects me to come," Tee said moodily.

Suddenly they heard Mike's shouts of: "May-Li! May-Li!"

Tee and Carmen exchanged a glance before rushing out of the kitchen. Ryan and Emily looked at each other before going out into the hallway. Tee's mum had come in with Hope in the pushchair. What made the scene scarier was the bruises on her mum's face. Emily put a hand to her temple and inhaled sharply. Ryan looked at her, catching her elbow as she teetered to the side. He quickly led her into the living room.

"What's going on?" Jody asked as Emily sat down on the sofa. Ryan crouched beside her.

"Emily's just not feeling so good," Ryan muttered. "Johnny and Tee's mum just arrived." They heard the door slam as Tee and Mike rushed out.

"Is Johnny in trouble?" Jody wondered.

"No idea," Ryan said shortly, looking away. He stood up and left the room.

"Are you OK?" Jody asked.

"Yeah, seeing Johnny and Tee's mum with the... bruises on her face just reminded me of..." Emily trailed off.

Jody rubbed her arm. "It's OK, you don't have to say."

When Emily had calmed down, she and Jody went to help with the final preparations for Johnny's party. When he came through the door they all gave a cheer. Johnny looked worn out, but smiled at them. Kaz gave him the card they had all signed, and Tee presented her brother with a new watch. The party was a lot of fun, and everyone ate lots of food and asked Johnny questions about what he would be doing with the army once he left.

Then it was time for Johnny to go. The kids rushed out to the garden for some reason, and Emily, Ryan, Tee, Carmen and Bailey went out through the front door. Johnny caught Carmen's arm before she went through the door, and grabbed her in a hug. She squeezed back, her head buried in her chest.

"Goodbye, Carmen," he said as they broke apart and looked at each other.

"Goodbye, Johnny," she replied, smiling sadly. He let go of her arm and went outside. Carmen stood next to Bailey.

"You'd better call," he told Tee.

"I will, of course I will," Tee assured him. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You know what you did?" Bailey said. "I'm not sure I could have stood up to him like that."

Johnny nodded and shook Bailey's outstretched hand, bringing him in for a rough hug. Almost as an afterthought, he turned to Emily and Ryan, who stood there awkwardly.

"Look after each other, yeah?" he said. Emily and Ryan exchanged a guilty glance before nodding at the older boy. "Give me your phone," he said to Emily, who handed it over. Johnny typed in his number before giving it back. "You can call or text me," he said. Emily nodded again.

"You've got my number," Johnny said to Ryan, who nodded. He gave him a quick man hug. "I know how you feel about her," he added in an undertone. Ryan paled as Johnny moved away. Emily raised her eyebrows, not having heard what Johnny had said to Ryan. As Johnny hugged Tee, Ryan motioned for Emily to follow him.

Round the side of the house, half of the kids were there with water guns and water balloons. Emily's eyes widened. Ryan took two pistols from Harry, and handed one to Emily. The kids were primed and ready with their ammunition.

"It's for the car," said Harry, and Emily nodded in understanding. When they heard the car pull away, they all ran out from both sides of the house and bombarded Mike's car. Laughing and cheering, they soaked the car. Emily aimed her gun at Ryan, who was on the other side of the car and got him right in the chest. He looked up and quickly got her back.

The car pulled away and disappeared down the road. The kids slowly went back into the house, leaving Ryan and Emily trailing behind. They stopped and looked at each other. They were both soaked and Ryan shivered slightly, but exchanged a grin.

"Well, looks like you won," Emily said with a shrug.

"Let's call it a draw," Ryan said. When Emily looked confused, he added, "Let's call off the bet, yeah?"

"So, I don't have to do your chores anymore?" Emily asked. "You're calling it quits?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly.

"Why the change of heart?" she asked suspiciously.

He just shrugged. "I thought about what you said, and what Johnny said..." Emily raised an eyebrow. He looked away from her, then glanced back. "So, the bet's off."

"OK," Emily said with surprise, "Great."

"Come on," said Ryan, sounding a little embarrassed. They turned and went back into the house.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Will Emily reply to the letter from her dad?  
What will Harry tease Ryan about?  
And who's going to get fostered?**

 **What do you guys think? Catch the next chapter on Saturday or maybe before...**


	19. 19: Can't Find Me

**Hello, readers! I have updated, at last - sorry to keep you all waiting.**

 **Happy New Year!**

 **I'm so excited for the new series to come back this month!**

 **Just to let you all know, I'm unlikely to be able to update before Saturday, as I have mocks all week.**

 **I think there might be a problem with the website, as I can't read any of your recent reviews, which is why I haven't replied to any on the last chapter. Thank you for the reviews, though :)**

 **Enjoy, guys xx**

* * *

 **LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Emily read the letter from her father.  
** **Johnny leaves for the army.  
** **Ryan decides to call off the bet.**

* * *

Chapter 19: Can't Find Me

Ryan and Emily went into the house, both starting to shiver from being soaked. They handed their water guns to Tyler, who was collecting them up. He eyed the pair of them. Tee came over and looked at Emily and Ryan with distaste.

"What have you two been doing?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" they both protested in unison.

"Yeah, what _have_ you been doing?" Tyler said meaningfully.

"Why are you both soaked?" Jody demanded, pushing past her friend. Ryan just shrugged.

"These idiots probably missed the car," Tyler said, shaking his head and taking the water pistols through to the kitchen.

"Right," Tee said slowly.

"Oh, go be miserable somewhere else," Ryan snapped.

"Bog off, Ryan," Tee said, pushing past him and going up the stairs.

"Well, that was mean," Jody declared, going back into the living room. Ryan smirked and went to go upstairs.

"Wow," Emily marvelled. Ryan stopped and turned to look at her. "There was me thinking you were different." She shook her head and quickly went upstairs.

Ryan frowned and followed, seeing her bedroom door shut. He huffed and went to get changed. He took off his jacket and peeled off his long-sleeved t-shirt. He put on his dark green short-sleeved shirt and pushed his hair back from his forehead as he looked in the mirror. He then went out of his room and down the corridor. Emily's bedroom door opened and he stopped. Emily had changed her green t-shirt for a black one and her denim shirt for her blue hoodie. She looked at him expectantly, her hand still on the door handle.

"Are you going to apologise?" she asked.

"Y' what?" he questioned, confused.

"To Tee," she said, "Are you going to apologise?"

"No," he scoffed, moving to go past her, but she caught his arm.

"Her brother's just left, Ryan," Emily said exasperatedly, "What if some kid said something like that to you when your sister had to leave you?"

She could see that she had struck a chord with the boy. Ryan froze and swallowed. He stared at her, an injured expression on his face. But he quickly scowled and shook his arm out of her grasp.

"Like yew know anything," he snapped, folding his arms.

Emily sighed. "I know you and Tee don't get on, and I don't get on particularly well with her either..."

Ryan smirked.

"But you could be a bit more sensitive," she reasoned, "I know I appreciated that when I got separated from dad. Besides, everyone will probably think you're really mean otherwise."

Ryan considered this. "OK, fine," he muttered. He gave a huff and went down the corridor. He knocked on Tee's door.

"Who is it?" asked a voice that he recognised as Carmen's.

"It's me, Ryan," he replied, trying not to sound too whiny.

"Go away, Ryan," Carmen snapped.

"No, it's just," he began, glancing at Emily. She motioned for him to continue. "I wanted to apologise." He cringed.

"What?" Carmen demanded, opening the door a crack.

"This is me, apologising," Ryan said meaningfully.

"Yeah, right," he heard Tee mumble.

"Tee, I'm sorry for what I said," he said loudly. "I know I should have been more sensitive," he went on, repeating Emily's words, "I know you're upset about Johnny leaving, but he was me friend, too."

Carmen looked at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering if he was going to say anything else.

"I hope you can forgive me one day," he concluded, stepping away from the door. Emily rolled her eyes at his last statement. Carmen slammed the door and Ryan raised his eyebrows. "Yeh happy now?" he muttered, going over to her.

"Yeah, that'll do," she said half-seriously. Ryan rolled his eyes and they both went downstairs.

The kids were hanging out in the living room. The twins were sitting with Harry, Finn and Floss on the sofas. Jody, Bailey and Tyler were standing by the pool table. They all looked round when Ryan and Emily entered and came over to them.

"Why the change of clothes?" Bailey asked.

"They got a bit wet from the water pistols," Jody said dryly. Ryan and Emily blushed a little.

"I'm gonna miss Johnny," Tyler piped up, changing subject of the conversation.

"I think we all will," said Jody.

"Yeah, we didn't always get on, but he was a good guy," Bailey put in.

"Yeah, like when he thought you smashed his window," Jody said with a laugh.

"And when yew told the police he was the wallet thief," Ryan added with a smirk.

"Well, the wallet was in his room," Bailey defended himself.

"Turns out he was innocent, though," Emily said, throwing a sideward's glance at Ryan. "I'm going to see if May-Li needs any help in the kitchen."

"Eh, me, too," Ryan added, following her out of the room.

"Are you following me now?" Emily remarked as they entered the kitchen.

"Ah, you two have come to help?" May-Li said before Ryan could reply. "We need to tidy this lot up."

"Right," Emily muttered, going over to where Mo was standing on the step-ladder, attempting to pull the banner off the wall. He wobbled slightly, and Emily steadied the ladder. "Careful," she said, looking up at him.

"Thanks," he replied, adjusting his glasses and peering down at her. "I don't think I'm tall enough to reach the top corners."

"I'll do it if you want," she offered, holding out a hand to help Mo climb down.

"OK, cool," he said cheerfully, letting go of her hand once he reached the floor.

"Mo, could you put this rubbish out?" May-Li called, and he rushed off to help.

Emily climbed the few steps on the ladder and reached up to grab the bottom right corner of the green banner. It was secured with sticky tack and she prised it off the wall. She then grabbed the top right corner. She tugged hard but it came away easily and the ladder toppled under the sudden movement. She gripped the doorframe with her right hand as she felt someone grab her left hand.

She looked down to see that Ryan was standing there, her hand secure in his grip. His pale bony fingers were wrapped around hers. They looked at each other for a moment. Emily let go of the doorframe, only for the banner to swing away from the wall and smack her in the head. She pushed it back onto the wall with a huff as Ryan smirked.

"Ooh, what's going on here?" Jody said provokingly as she entered the kitchen. Ryan and Emily snatched their hands away and blushed furiously.

"Here, you can help set the table," May-Li said briskly, handing Jody a pile of plates.

"I think everyone's pretty stuffed from the party," Jody said dubiously, watching as Ryan placed both hands on the step ladder as Emily got the banner down.

"I think you'll find some people will have room for more," May-Li assured her. Jody hid an eye roll as she went over to the table.

Emily passed the banner down to Ryan, who put it on the floor. He offered a hand to her. Emily hesitated before turning and placing her hand in his. His hand was slightly cold, making hers feel really warm. She climbed down and let go. Jody grinned at her.

"Oh, you know, Ryan was just stopping me from falling to my death," Emily said casually.

"OK," Jody replied, clearly not believing that was all that happened.

"Nice," Bailey remarked as he came through, heading straight for the back door. Emily moved the step ladder out of the way.

"Hey, where you going?" Mai-Li asked, holding a plate full of left-over sandwiches from the party.

"I gotta feed Mischief," he said with a shrug. Ryan shuddered as Bailey went outside to fetch Mischief's food bowl.

They helped set up for dinner, and like May-Li had predicted, Harry and Finn came in soon after, asking for food. They sat down to eat the left-over sandwiches, crisps and cake from the party. Carmen came in, asking if Tee could eat in her room. May-Li nodded, passing her a plate of food.

"Is Tee all right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Carmen replied, throwing a distasteful glance at Ryan, " _He_ apologised." She headed out of the kitchen as Mike walked in. The other kids looked questioningly at Ryan.

"I needed to be a bit more sensitive," he said meaningfully.

"Good man," Mike commended.

"Hungry?" May-Li asked.

"Nah, I'm stuffed!" Mike laughed, patting his stomach.

The kids finished their dinner and helped clear up. Then they all went off to bed. Emily lay in her room, thinking. She thought of the letter in her drawer and decided she would reply to it in the morning.

* * *

The next morning, Emily woke up and rolled over, burying her head in her pillow. She wrinkled her nose sleepily and rubbed her eyes. Stretching one arm over her head, her eyes fell to the bottom drawer of her bedside table. She would have to reply to her father someday, right?

Emily got out of bed and picked up her jeans from the floor, dropping them on her bed. She shrugged into the dressing gown, wondering if she would ever return it to its owner and get one of her own. Opening her door, she peered out, finding the corridor empty. She went to the bathroom to find Tee coming out through the door, towel-drying her hair.

"Morning, Emily," she said, smiling slightly.

"All right, Tee?" Emily replied, knowing she should still tread lightly as Tee was still probably upset about Johnny leaving. In fact, it was quite surprising that Tee had come out of her room so soon. "Um, would the bathroom be free at all? I really don't get the whole rota thing."

"Oh," Tee said, laughing a little, "Well, I only washed my hair, so you've got about seven minutes if you want to grab a shower. You should get onto Mike and May-Li to draw up a new rota."

"OK, thanks, Tee," Emily said, going into the bathroom and locking the door behind her. She was able to have a quick shower before anyone came knocking on the door. She put the dressing gown back on once she'd dried herself, and rubbed her dripping hair with her towel. There was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, are you going to be long?" she heard Mo ask.

"One second," she called, bending down to pick up her pyjamas from the floor. She went to the door and opened it.

"Oh, hello, Emily," Mo said. He was dressed in a pale blue shirt and his usual cream trousers. He shifted from foot to foot.

"Mo," she replied, going out into the corridor and putting her towel over her arm.

"Sorry, but there was someone in the spare," he explained, hurrying into the bathroom.

"That's fine, Mo," she called after him. She smiled and went back to her room. She changed into her black jeans and her mum's old white long-sleeved top which had the sheer parts on the shoulders and lace along the bottom. She rubbed her hair more vigorously and ran her fingers through it.

The shopping bags, though most of them were empty now, were still scattered on the floor. Emily put her towel over the door handle and knelt down to see what was still in the bags. The clothes ones were empty so she folded them up and put them in the bottom drawer of her wardrobe. The shoe boxes were empty as Emily had been wearing both pairs of converse, so she just piled the boxes up on the other side of the wardrobe. The last bag contained the makeup her mum had bought her. Emily took the small bag to her bedside table and emptied out the top drawer, putting the makeup in there instead. Well, now she could get rid of her mum's old makeup. She tipped it into the bin in the corner of her room.

Emily looked in the mirror and decided she would get some breakfast before thinking about replying to the letter. She picked up her towel and opened the door. Picking up yesterday's socks as an afterthought, she went out into the corridor, closing her door behind her. Throwing the socks into the laundry basket that stood in the corridor, she went back to the bathroom to put her towel on the radiator, and then went downstairs.

Going into the living room, Emily saw Harry, Finn and Floss arguing over what they would be watching on TV, whilst Carmen read a magazine on the opposite sofa. Bailey stood by the pool table, leaning on his pool cue, whilst Ryan lined up for his shot. Emily walked towards them.

"All right?" she said.

Ryan's hand slipped.

"Whey," Bailey laughed as Ryan hit the white ball too hard, causing the red ball to miss the pocket. Ryan sighed and scowled, glancing at Emily out of the corner of his eye. She bit her lip to keep from smiling, and went into the kitchen.

"Would you like some toast, Emily?" Tyler asked cheerfully as she entered.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, going over to where he stood by the toaster next to Jody.

"Tyler's the expert toast maker," Jody explained, "Or, at least, he likes to think he is."

"Hey," Tyler protested. Jody grinned and took her slice of toast into the living room.

Emily went to get some orange juice. The twins were sitting at the table, eating cereal. Kaz joined them with an apple in her hand. Emily sat down opposite the twins.

"Good morning, Emily," Billie piped up.

"Morning, Billie," Emily replied, "Toni." She nodded at the two of them. "Kaz," she added, and the girl gave her a nod.

"You've learnt our names," Toni said, sounding pleased.

"It wasn't that hard," Emily said modestly.

"Most people get us confused," said Billie.

"At school, anyway," Toni added.

"Well, seeing as we live in the same house," Emily considered, "We should all know each others' names, right? Even if some of us are identical twins."

The twins smiled and nodded.

"Et, voila!" Tyler declared, presenting Emily with a plate of toast.

"Why, thank you," Emily said grandly.

"Would you like anything else with that?" Tyler asked, putting a tea-towel over his arm, pretending to be a waiter.

"Just butter's fine, thanks," Emily laughed. Tyler bowed and left the kitchen.

"Your hair's still wet," Billie commented. Emily swallowed a bite of toast, nodding.

"I haven't dried it yet," she explained. "Might leave it to dry naturally, it doesn't take too long."

"You have really pretty hair," Toni said, looking at Emily's curls enviously.

"Aw, thank you," Emily said. Toni and Billie both had straight hair that just about reached their shoulders. "You know an easy way to get curly hair?" she asked.

They shook their heads.

"Well, there's a special kind of plait, or braid," Emily said, "That if you leave it in overnight, makes your hair look a bit like this." She picked up a lock of her own hair.

"Really?" Toni marvelled.

"Could you show us?" Billie asked.

Emily smiled. "Sure," she said, "I could do it for you both before you go to bed, if you'd like." They nodded enthusiastically.

"That sounds nice," said Kaz, getting up from the table.

"I don't suppose you want braids, too?" Emily joked, getting up as well and brushing crumbs off her top.

"No, thanks," Kaz said with a smile. The twins got up and put their bowls in the sink. They went into the living room and Emily followed.

She found Ryan and Bailey near the end of their pool game. Jody was watching eagerly, perched on the back of the sofa. Tyler was standing nearby with his arms folded. Emily went to stand next to Jody, watching as Bailey potted a yellow ball. Tyler glanced at them all.

"Not this again!" he complained. Emily smirked as she remembered the last time she'd watched Bailey and Ryan play a game of pool. It was the same five of them there again.

"I guess now we're even," said Bailey, when he potted the black ball, winning the game. Jody offered him her hand and they high-fived.

"Looks like it," Ryan replied, looking slightly peeved that he had lost. He put down his pool cue and went over to Emily. "Thanks for costing me the game," he muttered.

"Sorry, were you distracted?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Ryan looked affronted.

"Right, chores, please!" said May-Li, coming into the room. The five of them sighed and went into the kitchen to help. After Emily and Jody had done the washing up, Tyler had put the clothes on the line, Ryan had put some washing on and Bailey had put the bins out, the kids were left to their own devices.

Emily went to the office, finding Mike engrossed in a crossword in the newspaper. She knocked on the door and he looked up, beckoning her in. Emily opened the door and poked her head into the office.

"Could I have some paper, please?" she asked.

"Of course," Mike replied, taking off his glasses. "Plain or lined?"

"Um, lined, please," Emily answered. Mike got a few sheets from the shelf and handed them to her.

"Are you writing to your dad?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, sounding a bit sheepish.

"That's great," he said, sound pleased. Emily turned and left the office, going upstairs. "Oh, Emily?" he called, remembering something, but she was already out of earshot. He sighed and went back to his crossword.

Emily lay on her front on her bed, leaning the paper on one of the shoebox lids. She tapped the pen against the paper, reading over her dad's letter again. She tried to find the words without sounding like she was complaining about the whole situation. She decided a short letter would be fine.

 _Dear Dad,_

 _Thank you for writing to me. I miss you._

 _Things haven't been all bad since we got separated. I'm glad that you're OK and that you're doing well at the centre. Things weren't so great when you used to drink all the time. But I know it was because you were sad, and you're getting the help you need now._

 _Living in a care home isn't all bad, actually. I like Ashdene Ridge. I've got my own room and the care workers are nice. I get on with most of the kids and I've made one_

She crossed out ' _one_ ' and instead wrote:

 _Two friends that are my age. I think I'll be enjoying my summer holidays here._

 _Mum did come to visit, and then we went out shopping, like we used to. But it's been six whole years, and I'm not about to go and live with her. I'll just stay here until we can be together again. I might get fostered, like the twins did, but that would only be temporary._

 _We'll see each other again soon._

 _Love you, dad._

 _Emily xxx_

She put down the pen and read over what she had written. Satisfied, she got up and folded up the letter, placing it in the bottom drawer until she would get a chance to post it.

Whilst Emily had been writing her letter, Ryan was busy playing a game of hide-and-seek with Harry and Finn. He wasn't taking it too seriously, so hid in some fairly obvious places. He had found Harry and Finn twice now, and they had each taken a turn at being the 'finder'. Now it was Harry's turn to find Ryan and Finn. Finn rushed off when Harry began to count to fifty, and Ryan smirked and went to the kitchen. He looked around for something to eat.

"What are you doing?" Tee asked suspiciously, who was sitting at the kitchen table with Carmen.

"Actually come out of yer room now?" he asked snidely, reaching for the jar of chocolate spread.

"Um, Tee asked you a question?" Carmen said pointedly, turning round in her seat to look at him.

" _Tee asked you a question_ ," he mocked under his breath as he got a spoon from the drawer and opened the jar. "I'm playin' hide-and-seek with Harry and Finn." He scooped out a large spoonful of chocolate spread and put the spoon in his mouth. Tee and Carmen stared at him. "What?" he mumbled around the spoon.

"Sure looks like it," Tee muttered, looking back down at her magazine.

"I hope you're not going to put that spoon back in the jar," Carmen warned.

Ryan licked the spoon and shot her a look. "No, course not," he said, as if it was obvious, "That would be disgusting." He flung the spoon in the direction of the sink and it went in with a metallic clang. "Hole in one," he muttered with a smirk.

"Ready, here I come!" they heard Harry shout from the living room. Ryan hurried into the laundry room and hid behind the door. Harry ran into the kitchen.

"Have you seen Ryan?" he asked, looking under the table.

"Yeah, actually he-" Tee began, to be cut off by her friend.

"Even if we had, it's up to you to find him," Carmen said swiftly. Harry grinned and went towards the laundry room. "Don't spoil it for Harry, just because Ryan's a prat." Tee rolled her eyes.

Harry looked around the door and sighed when he found Ryan lurking behind it.

"You're not even trying," he accused.

"What d'yeh mean?" Ryan asked innocently.

"You left the lid off the chocolate spread," Harry said bluntly. Ryan looked sheepish. They went back into the kitchen and Ryan screwed the lid back on, returning it to its place by the toaster. They left the kitchen and went through the living room, passing Jody, Bailey, Tyler and Mo. Going out into the hallway, Ryan followed Harry up the stairs as he looked for Finn.

"So, Ryan, what's with you and Emily?" Harry asked casually.

"Yeh what?" Ryan uttered in surprise.

"Well, I know there's something going on," Harry replied knowingly. Ryan raised an eyebrow. Harry was rather perceptive for a nice year old.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for Finn?" Ryan asked defensively.

"You're in denial," Harry stated, opening bedroom doors to see if Finn was in there.

"You don't know what yer on about," Ryan insisted.

"Really?" Harry asked, stopping, and turning to look at his friend. They had come to the spare staff bedroom and the two boys were standing in the middle of the room. Ryan folded his arms.

"Really," Ryan retorted.

"Let's look at the evidence, shall we?" Harry said with a grin. Ryan tried to interrupt but the younger boy carried on. "You were nice to her when she first arrived, you've defended her more than once, _and_ she distracted you during the pool game."

"How d'yeh know that?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"I was there," Harry replied. "You like her."

"I do not!" Ryan exclaimed.

The twins were in their room and heard voices in Ryan's room. They exchanged a glance before going to their door. Toni opened it quietly and Billie peered out.

"OK, but you'll admit it eventually," Harry predicted.

Billie and Toni stifled a giggle.

"Harry, I thought yeh were my friend," Ryan accused.

"That's what friends do," Harry said with a grin. "I think you'd be really cute together."

"Is this really happening?" Ryan asked aloud, putting a hand to his face.

"Finn, I know you're there," said Harry. Finn crawled out from under Ryan's bed.

"He was there the whole-" Ryan spluttered. "I can't believe yew would say-" he huffed, unable to form full sentences. "Why would y'- of all the things-?"

Harry was cracking up. He and Finn grinned at each other. Harry glanced behind to see Billie's head poking around their bedroom door. She quickly disappeared.

"Well, are we playing again?" Harry asked brightly.

"Are yeh joking?" Ryan said bluntly. Harry shrugged, motioning for Finn to follow him. They went down the corridor as Emily came out of her room. Finn tugged Harry's sleeve and pointed to the curly haired girl. Harry grinned at him conspiratorially.

"Hey, Emily?" Harry called. She turned and smiled at him.

"Want to play hide-and-seek with us?" Finn asked cheerfully. Emily raised her eyebrows. Who could say no to that boy?

"Yeah, OK," she agreed.

"Come on, then," said Harry, leading the way.

"We all have to go in the living room, so the finder can start counting," Finn explained. Ryan was coming out of his room and shutting the door.

"I said no," he said exasperatedly, then saw Emily. She noticed that Ryan was looking rather red in the face. She smirked.

"But _Emily's_ playing," Harry said meaningfully. Emily frowned, confused. She had to be missing something here.

"OK, fine," Ryan conceded, "One more game."

"Yay!" Finn said happily, and they went down into the living room. Emily and Ryan stood there awkwardly. "Go and hide," he commanded, and began to count. Harry ran off and Emily and Ryan looked at each other with a shrug before going off to hide.

Emily went out into the hallway and looked around. Eventually she decided to hide in the under-stairs cupboard. It was quite small and had a few boxes in it, so Emily sat down in the corner. She exhaled. The cupboard was dark with the door pulled to, and Emily's eyes soon grew accustomed to the darkness. She had hidden in a cupboard before.

 _The little girl of five with her bouncing brown curls ran off as he father began to count. She giggled as she went to hide in the cupboard under the stairs. She pulled the door behind her and crouched in the darkness._

 _"_ _Ready or not, here I come!" she heard her dad call, and she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand._

 _"_ _Can't find me!" she whispered with a giggle. Suddenly the cupboard was filled with light and her dad stood there grinning. Emily laughed in delight and reached up for her dad to pick her up. He lifted her out of the cupboard and they laughed._

Then her memories took a sudden turn.

 _Emily was seven and was sitting in the dark, wedged between the wall and her wardrobe in her bedroom. Her father thought her to be playing in her room while her mum was out. She tucked her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes. Mum and dad were always arguing about something, no doubt there would be another fight when her mum got home. Sometimes Emily wished she could just disappear. The front door slammed and her mum greeted her father with a shouted oath._

 _"_ _Where's Emily?" she demanded._

 _"_ _She's just playing in her room," her father said mildly._

 _"_ _You poor excuse for a parent," her mum accused._

 _"_ _Says you," her dad retorted, "You're never around anyway."_

 _Her mum huffed and stormed up the stairs. A shaft of light came into the room when her mum opened the door._

 _"_ _Can't find me, can't find me," Emily whispered under her breath._

 _The light switch plunged the room into bright light. Her mother appeared in front of her, angry as anything. She grabbed her arm, yelling at her as she dragged her daughter out from her hiding place._

Emily sobbed as she was released from the flashback. She wiped a few tears away as the cupboard door opened. But Harry was still counting. Ryan stood there with a concerned look.

"Harry's still counting," Emily muttered.

"Hey, are yew all right?" he asked. Emily didn't reply, only rubbed at her eyes. Ryan's expression turned soft and he stepped into the cupboard. He squeezed in next to Emily and pulled the door shut. He was sitting opposite her and both had their knees drawn up due to the cramped space. "Was it another panic attack?" he asked softly.

"I think it might have been," Emily mumbled. "I had a flashback. It wasn't a nice one."

"Well, you're not the only one," Ryan replied. Awkwardly he reached out a hand to pat her knee. Emily almost laughed at the gesture.

"I'm glad we're getting on, now," Emily said.

"Me, too," Ryan agreed. Emily reached forward and hugged him. He stiffened, but wrapped his arms around her all the same. They remained like this for a few moments. Suddenly the cupboard door opened and Harry was peering at them. They broke apart but had nowhere to go in the small cupboard.

"What were you two doing?" he asked curiously. "You're not supposed to hide in the same place!"

"Yeah, Ryan, this isn't sardines," Emily joked, but hiccupped from her tears.

"Emily, are you OK?" Harry asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Harry," she said, as Ryan got to his feet and stepped out of the cupboard. She took the hand he offered her and let him help her out. "I am now, anyway."

"Well, I'm going to find Finn," Harry said dubiously, as Ryan closed the cupboard door.

"Ah, Emily," said Mike, as Harry ran off. Ryan casually stepped away from her and went back into the living room.

"Yes, Mike?" she asked.

"Well, I'd been in touch with Social Services," he explained, "And your foster placement has just come through."

"My _what_?" Emily demanded.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **Will Emily agree to get fostered?  
What will she uncover when she helps Ryan move rooms?  
And what are Harry, Finn and the twins planning?**

 **Catch the next chapter on Saturday, or maybe before...**


	20. 20: Everybody Wants to Get Fostered

**Massive apologies for the crazily late update!**

 **I have been bogged down in schoolwork all last week, and the weekend. I've had to do this 1,500 word report with doesn't sound like much, but literally 80% of it is just research. And it's still not done, but I'll try to make the next update, well, not late.**

 **Thank you for all of your reviews, though!**

 **Enjoy, guys xxx**

* * *

 **LAST TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **Emily replies to her dad's letter.  
Harry teases Ryan about his interest in Emily.  
A game of hide-and-seeks reveals secrets from Emily's past and a new side to Ryan.**

* * *

Chapter 20: Everybody Wants to Get Fostered

"Her _what?_ " Ryan repeated in an undertone, clapping his hand over his mouth. He carefully went past and hid behind the shelving unit in the hallway, which was a very convenient place to eavesdrop.

"I'm going to get fostered?" Emily asked bluntly.

"Well, only if you want to," Mike said quickly. "I'd been in touch with Social Services as soon as you got taken into care, and well, I thought that you might be more suited to a family environment."

" _Family environment_ ," Ryan mouthed, raising his finger and thumb to his chin.

"Family environment?" Emily repeated, "Well, that's a joke."

Ryan's brow furrowed.

"Well, it would still be nice to meet the couple who want to foster you," Mike considered, "Mr and Mrs Marlborough."

"They rich?" Emily asked jokingly at the mention of their surname.

"They are quite well off from what I understand," Mike floundered. He looked at her. "Please could you just meet them? They would really like to foster you."

"Don't you get paid to foster kids?" Emily asked, frowning.

"Well, yes, but…" Mike trailed off. "Will you meet them, Emily?"

"OK, fine," Emily said exasperatedly.

Ryan's eyebrow shot up so fast it could have taken someone's eyes out.

"Really?" Mike said in surprise, "That's great, Emily. They're coming tomorrow," he added quickly, before turning and going back into the office."

Ryan's eyebrows were now disappearing into his hairline. Emily could be getting fostered, and she had actually _agreed_ to meet the foster parents? Where was the logic? He thought he knew this girl. He gave a sigh and passed a hand across his face before exiting his hiding place.

"Were you there the _whole_ time?" Emily asked incredulously. Ryan just shrugged, hiding his confusion.

"Yer gonna meet them, then?" he muttered.

"Yeah, looks like it," Emily said with a shrug that mirrored his. "Have you been fostered before?" she asked pointedly.

"Yeah," Ryan replied quickly. "Loads of times," he added, glancing away.

"What's it like?" she enquired, leaning back on the banister.

Ryan looked at her before saying, "You'll love it."

"Really?" Emily asked. "But they'll be like strangers."

"No stranger than moving to a care home," Ryan said, "But you can get loads off yer foster parents, y'know."

"The Marlboroughs are rich, apparently," Emily said.

"Good for yew, then," Ryan said, folding his arms. "It's not like you have to stay there indefinitely."

"Maybe just… 'til dad gets out of rehab?" Emily wondered. Then she smiled. "Thanks, Ryan," she added, fondly touching his arm. She then went through to the living room.

Ryan looked up at the ceiling and covered his face with his hands. He gave a sigh and rubbed his forehead. Why him?

"Hey, who's died?" Tyler joked as he came through the hallway. He stopped and looked at Ryan, who gave him a sour look.

"Ah, I recognise that look," Tyler said mysteriously.

"Look?" Ryan repeated, "What look; this isn't a _look_."

"You may try to deny it, my friend," said Tyler, laying a hand on his arm. Ryan shrugged him off.

"This… this is just my face," Ryan said lamely, "Y'know, when yer bein' annoying?"

"Which is most of the time, yeah," Tyler said, waving one hand. "No, this look is different. You're in _love._ " He dragged out the last word which made Ryan cringe.

"Oh, shut up," he retorted, shoving Tyler out of the way and going into the living room. Tyler grinned and followed.

"So, you're getting fostered?" Jody was asking. She and Emily were sitting on the sofa and Bailey was behind them, leaning on a pool cue. The twins, Harry and Finn were sitting on and around the other sofa, listening intently.

"Well, I could be," Emily corrected. "But I'm going to meet my foster parents."

"When?" Bailey asked.

"I don't know," Emily said with a shrug.

"What are their names?" Harry inquired. Ryan leaned on the doorframe and Tyler went to stand behind Emily.

"Mr and Mrs Marlborough," Emily said, getting her mouth around the long name.

"They sound well posh," Bailey muttered, going back to his pool game.

"They could buy you loads," Toni marvelled.

"That's not why you should get fostered," Billie defended.

"Well, why else would yew?" Ryan asked aloud. He smirked when they all turned to look at him. "They're only doin' it for the money."

"That's not true," Jody said hotly.

"Just 'cause yew want to get fostered," Ryan said snidely. Emily shot him a look, so he didn't continue.

"I don't know, I do kind of want to meet them," Emily said.

Tyler had been watching Emily and Ryan very closely. His eyes narrowed, and then he grinned. He caught Ryan's eye and pointed excitedly at Emily. Ryan looked alarmed and shook his head. Tyler nodded vigorously and pointed at Emily again. He pointed at Ryan and clutched his heart dramatically. Ryan put a hand to his face.

"What's going on with you two?" Jody asked curiously. Ryan was flushed bright red and Tyler looked close to laughter. She narrowed her eyes as she put the pieces together, and then began to laugh.

"What's the joke?" Emily questioned, looking from Ryan, to Tyler, to Jody and back. She eyed Ryan's embarrassed expression and raised an eyebrow. Billie and Toni giggled, exchanging nods with Harry and Finn. "Seriously, what's so funny?" she asked again, but Jody was laughing too loudly to reply.

"You lot are lame," Bailey scoffed.

"Dinner!" May-Li called, and they all went through to the kitchen. Tee, Carmen, Kaz and Mo had been setting the table and helping with dinner. They all sat down and Emily was still confused about the apparent joke from earlier. Dinner was sausage and mash, served with peas and carrots. Emily didn't talk much, though she became the subject of the conversation as her foster placement was now general knowledge. The kids were full of questions.

"Where do they live?"

"What are they like?"

"Are you really going to be fostered?"

"Will you be coming back?"

"Now, now, kids," Mike stepped in. "Emily doesn't know much yet, so stop overwhelming her."

"Sorry, Emily," the kids muttered, before going back to their dinner.

After they cleared up from the meal, the kids were left to do their own thing. Emily hurried upstairs to write something about the new turn of events on the inside back cover of her notebook, seeing as all of the pages were full. Ryan went to his room, leaving the door ajar. He collapsed on his bed and covered his face with his hands. He inhaled sharply. Why was he being so stupidly affected by this? A vague thought of Emily coming into the room was quickly brushed away. Why would she want to talk to him, anyway?

"Ryan?" May-Li asked sometime later, as she passed his room. He glanced up as she poked her head in. "You'll need to start packing up your stuff."

"Why, am I leaving?" he asked quickly.

"This room?" May-Li joked, "Yes. You're getting Johnny's old room."

Ryan sat up. "Can't I just stay in here?" he whined.

"I'm afraid not," May-Li replied shortly, "You're moving rooms tomorrow."

Ryan sighed and flopped back down once she'd left. He liked this room. But at least he would be able to redecorate Johnny's old room. This one was lame, with all the pictures of the care kids on display. His new room would be bigger than to box room. Yes, Emily, again. What was wrong with him?

After Emily had taken a bath, she put on her pyjamas in her room. She looked about the small room. Would she get a bigger room at her new foster home? That is, if she would actually get fostered. She left the room to go and brush her teeth. She passed Billie, on the way to the bathroom, who caught the hem of her t-shirt.

"Can you still do our hair?" she asked shyly.

"Of course, Billie," Emily said with a smile, "I'll come by your room right after I brush my teeth."

Billie positively beamed, and it made Emily wonder what on earth had happened at their foster home, and in their past, for Billie to be happy about something so simple. She watched the younger girl go down the corridor and disappear around the corner. Going into the bathroom, Emily quickly brushed her teeth. She eyed her reflection in the mirror, feeling rather ordinary. The twins seemed to see her as some sort of big sister, though she thought that Tee had that role. Emily went back to her room before going to see the twins. Her phone screen was lit up, so Emily rushed over to her bedside table. There was a text from her mother. Well, finally!

 _Hi, darling, I've finally had a spare minute to text you. Work is absolute murder at the moment, darling! Please call me soon, I would love to see you again xxx_

Emily sighed. Trust her mother to forget to reply this whole time, whatever her excuses were. Her mother had always been melodramatic. She found herself walking out of her small room with her phone still in her hand.

"What're yeh doin'?" Ryan asked as she came towards his room. He eyed the smartphone in her hand. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and dark red pyjama trousers.

"Oh, um," Emily mumbled, snapping out of her trance, "I'm just going to see the twins; they asked if I could plait their hair before they go to bed."

"Right," he said slowly. "Well, have fun," he muttered, moving past her, bare elbow brushing hers. She felt a slight shiver as he passed her, but she shrugged it off and went into the twins room. The two of them were sitting on their beds, each clutching a hairbrush.

"OK, who's first?" Emily asked with a smile as she put her phone down on the table between the beds. Toni volunteered so Emily sat next to her on her bed and brushed her hair through before beginning to braid.

"Are you really getting fostered?" Billie piped up as Emily began the Dutch braid.

"Yeah, looks like I might be," Emily replied.

"Make sure they're nice," Toni pressed.

"And that you'll like living with them," Billie agreed.

"OK," Emily said, as she tied the plait. She had begun with a Dutch braid as to make the top half of the hair wavy, then switched to a detailed fishtail braid all the way to the tips of the hair. She swapped to Toni's other side and began braiding. "Did you not like your foster family?"

"It wasn't that," Billie mumbled.

"They were nice, but…" Toni trailed off.

"But, what?" Emily asked quietly.

"The dad, he was," Billie began, "He didn't seem to like us very much."

"He was too much like our real dad," Toni argued, "That's why it didn't work out."

"No," Billie protested, "That's why we couldn't stay there, because he was like Dad."

"What was your dad like?" Emily asked hesitantly as she went to sit next to Billie. She began to run the hairbrush through the younger girl's hair.

"Billie," Toni scolded.

"He wasn't always nice to us," Billie said, ignoring her sister.

"Is that why you got taken into care?" the older girl asked carefully.

"No!" Toni said.

"Yes!" Billie said at the same time. Emily quietly finished Billie's braids and folded her hands in her lap.

"You know, I used to have this room," Emily said.

"You were next door to Ryan?" Toni asked innocently, forgetting the disagreement with her sister.

"Yeah," Emily said, lowering her voice. Ryan came up the corridor and heard Emily talking to the twins. "And… sometimes, I could even hear him snoring." The twins giggled and Ryan shot Emily a disgusted look as she glanced up to see him in the doorway. The little exchange was followed by the slamming of Ryan's bedroom door. Emily exchanged a grin with the twins.

"Toni, Billie, are you ready for bed?" asked a voice. Tee came into the doorway and stared at Emily, who was still sitting on Billie's bed. "Oh, Emily," she said, not sounding impressed.

"Emily was just doing our hair," Billie said quietly.

"Right, well, time for bed, you two," Tee said briskly, folding her arms. Emily raised her eyebrows. Her phone buzzed on the bedside table.

"Here you go," said Toni, passing her the phone.

"Who's it from?" Billie asked curiously.

Emily opened the message to find that it was from Johnny. "It's from Johnny," Emily said in surprised, and Tee looked immediately annoyed.

 _Hey, Emily! Finally got a minute to text you - How are you doing? Hope Ryan's behaving ;) Talk soon x_

"Why would he be texting you?" Tee asked incredulously.

"Johnny's her friend," Toni defended.

"He, um, just wanted to see how I was doing," Emily mumbled.

"He put a kiss at the end," Billie innocently pointed out.

"I'd, uh, better get to sleep," Emily said, quickly standing up. "You too, Billie and Toni; goodnight, then," she added.

"Goodnight, Emily," the twins replied, before getting under the covers.

"Night, Tee," Emily said mildly as she passed the blond girl. Tee didn't reply.

Emily went out of the room to see Tee tucking the twins in and saying goodnight. Something tugged at her chest as she realised that she'd never had the opportunity to treat anyone like a sister before. She paused outside Ryan's door.

"Night, Ryan!" she called, tilting her head to the side, waiting for the reply.

"Night!" came the delayed yell, and Emily hid a smile before going back to her room to get some sleep.

* * *

"I can't believe she is getting fostered," Carmen was complained over breakfast the next morning.

"Yeah, I'm just dying for you to get fostered," Tyler said melodramatically, earning a scowl from Carmen.

"Well, Emily's really nice," said Toni.

"She deserves to get fostered," Billie added.

"Yeah, like you would know," said Tee.

"Hey!" Jody protested.

"Yeah, like anyone would want to foster yew," Ryan said snidely as he came into the kitchen and picked up an apple. Bailey snickered.

"Hey, that was uncalled for," said Kaz. Ryan just shrugged.

"Heard the foster parents are well rich," Tyler put in.

"Why does that matter?" Mo asked with a frown.

"She can get stuff off them," Bailey said simply, arms resting on the back of Jody's chair. She rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement.

"Exactly," Ryan added.

"I want to be fostered," said Floss.

"No, you don't," Harry insisted.

"Only if they're nice," said Finn.

"Really nice," Billie agreed.

"Oh, who cares?" Ryan said flippantly, "It's never gonna last."

"How can you say that?" Tee demanded.

"Hands up who's had a foster placement that's lasted more than six months," Ryan said shortly. No one put their hands up. "There's my point," he said.

"What're we talking about?" Emily asked, walking into the kitchen. She was wearing her blue t-shirt and hoodie, with black jeans, her hair in messy curls as usual. Everyone fell silent to look at her. "What?" she asked slowly. She sighed. "Were you talking about me getting fostered?"

"Yeah," said Floss.

"No," Tee said quickly. Emily gave her a blank glance before going to get an apple from the fruit bowl, leaning on the worktop next to Ryan.

"Apple-twins!" Harry declared, causing both Emily and Ryan to blush as red as their apples. The kids began to disperse from the kitchen as May-Li came in.

"No skiving on your chores, please!" she called, but most of the kids ignored her and left the room. Her eyes fell on Emily and Ryan. "Ah, Emily," she said, "Mike wanted to speak to you about your foster placement. And you, Ryan, have got to move rooms." The two exchanged a glance before replacing their apples in the fruit bowl and leaving the kitchen.

"Why does everyone keep going on about my foster placement?" Emily muttered.

"They'll find something new t' talk about eventually," Ryan said smoothly. They parted ways in the hallway and Emily went into the office as the door was open.

"Emily," said Mike, gesturing for the girl to sit down on the sofa. She did so. "You know about your foster placement?" Emily nodded. "Well, the Marlboroughs really want to meet you."

Emily looked at him expectantly. "Yes?" she said.

"Would it be OK for them to come here tomorrow to meet you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Wow, they're keen," Emily said mildly. "Yeah, I guess that would be OK. I want to meet them, too."

"Great," said Mike, "Social have sent over some things, so they already know a bit about you."

"How much, exactly?" she asked apprehensively.

"Not much," he assured her, "Your past is confidential, but they've been made aware of things that might unsettle you, and just a bit about your personality and interests."

"Right, OK," she said. "Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all," Mike replied with a smile. "I'll let you know what time they're coming tomorrow."

"How long after would I go and live with them?" Emily asked, "Just, so I know."

"Well," said Mike, "Seeing as I put it down as an emergency foster placement, you can go and live with them anytime between five days and two weeks as it's clearly not an emergency anymore. But you can go whenever you're ready."

"OK, cool," Emily said, getting up. "Thanks, Mike."

"Just doing my job," he said as she left the office. Emily stopped in the hallway as the twins ran out from the living room, clearly in search of her. They had undone their braids and their hair tumbled about their shoulders in soft curls. They were both positively beaming.

"Thank you, Emily!" Toni cried.

"We love it!" Billie added. They both hugged her before running off again. Emily stood there for a second as she had totally unexpected their reaction. So maybe she had made two new friends, but now she could be leaving. Emily sighed and went up the stairs. May-Li was standing outside the spare staff bedroom, arms folded.

"Ah, Emily!" she said, catching her arm. "Help Ryan with his stuff, would you?" May-Li then promptly left. Emily blinked. She turned to the doorway where she could see Ryan putting his magazines into a cardboard box. He was wearing a faded red shirt with the sleeves rolled up, with his customary black jeans.

"Moving rooms, are we?" she asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"Yeah," he replied, "And May-Li said you have to help." Emily sighed.

"Though you couldn't tell me what to do anymore," she said, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, but May-Li told you to," Ryan said snidely. "Plus," he added calculatedly, "May-Li said that the person helping me is excused from chores today."

"OK, I'm in," Emily said quickly. Ryan hid a smirk as he filled the box and closed it. "What d'you want me to do?"

"Sort my clothes into that black bag," he said, knowing it was the biggest chore. He glanced warily at the other black bag full of stuff that could be seen under his bed. Ryan's clothes were kept in a small wardrobe and chest of drawers. Emily raised an eyebrow and picked up the bag, taking over to the chest of drawers. After inspecting the contents of the wardrobe, she decided that everything on hangers could just be directly moved last as it wouldn't be such a chore to carry a dozen shirts and jackets to Johnny's old room. She packed Ryan's jeans, t-shirts, pants and socks into the bag, trying not to crease the clothes too much.

"You've not got much stuff, then," she remarked, carrying the black bag of clothes to the bed. She looked at the bed, on which sat two cardboard boxes, two black bags and Ryan's skateboard.

"Neither have yew," he retorted. "Don't need it." He looked protectively at his skateboard, which was probably the most expensive thing he owned.

"Me neither," she replied. "Johnny's room's already empty, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Let's get this stuff moved into your new room, then," she said briskly, placing a black bag on top of a cardboard box and picking them up. She reached for the skateboard and Ryan's hand moved slightly to stop her. But she picked it up and headed out of the room.

"Hey, don't drop any of that!" he protested as she easily carried the stuff out of the room. He picked up the remaining box and balanced it in one hand as he struggled with the black bag. He went to Johnny's old room and dropped the black bag upon entering, hiding the fact it was heavy. He told himself it was because Emily had taken the lightest stuff. Emily had placed the box and bag on his bed, propping the skateboard up against the bedside table. The two black bags were now next to each other on the bed; it was unable to tell the contents apart without opening them.

"This could be a really nice room," Emily mused, glancing at the bare cream walls. "Want help putting your stuff away? It would save you doing it later."

"Nah," Ryan said evasively, "Yew don't need to."

"Oh, but it won't take long," Emily insisted, opening one of the black bags. It contained some papers and the knee- and elbow-pads, and Emily spotted the corner of something red.

"Don't," Ryan said quickly, as Emily picked out the red envelope she had found in his room before.

"What the heck is this?" she demanded, turning it over. "You haven't even opened it! Who's it from, then?" The red envelope was addressed to Ryan in big scribbly writing. A child must have written it.

"What's it t' yew?" he spat, snatching for the envelope, but Emily held it out of reach.

"Why haven't you read it?" Emily exclaimed, "It could be important. It's from your sister, isn't it?"

"Shut up," he snapped, reaching for the envelope again. "Yew don't know what yer talkin' about!"

"I think maybe I do," Emily retorted, holding the envelope behind her back. "I know that if I hadn't seen my dad for ages, I would at least read his letters!"

"Maybe I don't want to read them," he muttered.

"There are more?" Emily asked incredulously. "You said you haven't seen your sister in years."

"I never," he said guiltily.

"Maybe," Emily considered, "But it's obvious you haven't. But she clearly wants to talk to you."

"Just _shut up_!" Ryan said hotly, going quickly round to the other side of the bed and giving her a shove, snatching the letter from her.

Emily looked hurt. "Well, don't say I didn't tell you to read those letters, however many there are."

Ryan stared at her as she purposefully left the room. She was going to post her own letter. She went back to her room and reached for the letter in the bottom drawer. She would need an envelope, and stamp, plus the address. She would have to ask Mike.

"Lunch!" she heard Mike yell. She sighed, stuffing the folded piece of paper into her jeans pocket. Clambering up, she made her way downstairs.

The kids were crowded around the kitchen table, sitting down and finishing setting out the plates and cups. Emily sat down between Mo and Harry, opposite the twins. Their hair had kept the curls and they both looked really cute. Emily exchanged a smile with them, and noticed Tee looking annoyed.

"Your hair looks really pretty, Tee," Emily said, noting the blond girl's French braids. Tee gave a nod, her cold exterior thawing slightly. The kids were sitting down as May-Li brought over the lasagne. Emily smiled as she remembered that her first meal at The Dumping Ground had been the same.

"Hey, where's Ryan?" Mike wondered aloud.

"Here," Ryan muttered, entering the room. His eyes were slightly red as he sat down next to Jody and Tyler.

"You all right?" Carmen asked with an eyebrow raised. Ryan sniffed once.

"Fine," he replied, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"Eat up, then, you lot," said Mike, helping himself to the lasagne after handing out a couple of serving spoons. About half way through the meal, Mike was standing next to Emily, reaching for a piece of bread from the basket on the table.

"Um, Mike?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, Emily?" he replied.

"Could I have an envelope?" she questioned, "and a stamp?"

"Posting a letter?" he said.

"Yeah, I, uh, also need my dad's," she hesitated, glancing at the kids, "New address."

"No problem," Mike said easily, "It's in the office; I can sort out that letter for you."

"Thanks," she said.

"Are you allowed to write letters in those places?" Bailey asked.

"Excuse me?" Emily uttered.

"Uh, her dad's not in prison," said Carmen.

"You can still write letters when you're in prison," Jody defended.

"Yeah, you'd know all about that, wouldn't yeh, Jodes," Ryan said snidely. Jody looked like she might punch him. Bailey put a hand on her arm.

"Why, where is Emily's dad?" Harry asked.

"That's none of our business," said Billie.

"Quite right," said Mike. "Are you finished, Emily?"

"No, where is he, though?" Tee asked pointedly.

"He's in rehab, all right?" Emily exclaimed. "What's the problem?"

"Woah, what was he taking?" Tyler asked with interest.

"What?" Finn asked, confused.

Emily put a hand across her face as Mike motioned for the kids to be quiet. "He was an alcoholic, all right?" she said in an undertone. "That's why I'm finally in care."

"Finally?" Kaz asked.

"Well, at least Emily's being taken care of now," May-Li said carefully.

"It's true, at least he's going to be a proper dad," Emily muttered, half to herself, so that only half the kids caught what she said.

"Let's get that letter posted, then," Mike said. "I'm assuming you're all finished."

"Tyler probably isn't!" Jody said cheerfully, diffusing the tension.

Emily followed Mike out of the room and into the office. He found her an envelope, a stamp, and brought the address of the Rehabilitation Centre up on the computer. Emily carefully copied it, hardly taking in the actual address. Stuffing the letter in the envelope and sticking the flap down, she turned it over and nervously applied the stamp to the top right corner. May-Li came to join Mike in the office as Emily finished with the letter.

"Anything need posting?" Ryan asked, poking his head around the door of the office.

"No, but thank you, Ryan," said Mike, sounding surprised, "Only Emily's letter."

"I'm posting that," she said, clutching the plain white envelope to her chest.

"Right, OK," Ryan said, looking to go.

"You could show Emily where the nearest post box is, though, Ryan," May-Li put in, stopping him. "Emily probably doesn't know the area." Emily shook her head.

"A'right," he agreed, "Come on, Emily." Mike and May-Li exchanged a glance of approval and May-Li then raised her eyebrows to herself as she looked down at her book. She followed him out of the office and Ryan got his black denim jacket from the coat stand. After pulling it on, he opened the front door and they went outside.

"You're not posting anything, are you?" Emily asked doubtfully. Why else would he ask if there was anything for the post?

"Nope, but yew are," he said simply.

"Right," Emily said slowly, but shrugged the weird feeling off. "I'm sorry for having a go, earlier. I didn't mean to upset you."

Ryan started in surprise, but quickly hid this. "OK," he said, "it's fine." Emily raised her eyebrows at his easy reply. Ryan glanced away as he dashed his revenge plans. Emily wasn't that fun to annoy, anyway, at least not in a mean way. Had he just thought that?

"Post box isn't far," he said as they crossed several roads and went uphill.

"Good," Emily replied, searching for something to say. "So, how long have you been in care?" OK, that wasn't a great question, actually. Emily cringed inwardly as she couldn't take back her mistake. Ryan seemed unperturbed, however.

"Since I was five or six," he said shortly. "I was actually taken into care on… on…"

Emily waited before pressing him. "On what?" she murmured.

"On my birthday," he said with a sigh, not meeting her eyes.

"Oh, that's awful," she said empathetically, "I didn't know."

"It's fine," he muttered.

"I bet you don't like celebrating your birthday an awful lot, then," Emily considered.

"Yer not wrong," Ryan admitted. "I hate my birthday. It's just a sick reminder that my mum was a failure and that I had to be separated from my sister. It's like the world hates me." He looked at the ground, having said too much. They stopped by the tall shiny red post box on the corner next to a green.

"Well, I don't hate you," Emily said, approaching the post box. She took the letter out of her hoodie pocket and held it up.

"Go on," Ryan said softly. Emily let out a breath and laughed in spite of herself.

"Here goes," she muttered, letting the letter fall through the gap.

"Well done," Ryan mumbled, "It's better than what I could do."

"You still could," Emily tried to persuade him.

"No," he said stiffly, "It's just too hard."

Emily watched his face fall and a crease formed between her eyebrows. "When is your birthday anyway?" she asked brightly, as they waited to cross the busy road.

"Soon," he said. "Next month. Fourteen," he added half-heartedly.

"August?" she asked. "Are you still in my year?"

"Going into Year Nine," he agreed. "My birthday's just before the term starts."

"Oh…" Emily trailed off, trying to work out why his birthday was in the previous academic year.

"It's because of being taken into care," he said shortly, answering her unspoken question. They crossed the road and went down the street. "I hadn't gone to school, at all, before… before…" he clammed up, frowning.

"So, they put you back a year?" Emily asked, trying to stop him feeling so bad.

"Pretty much," he said with a shrug.

"Well, at least you're the oldest instead of the youngest," she said brightly.

"Yeah," he agreed. "When's your birthday?"

"October," she replied. "Best month of the year," she said sarcastically.

"Halloween is overrated," Ryan agreed as they neared Ashdene Ridge. "Wouldn't mind seeing what us lot could come up with, though."

"Yeah, that could be really fun," Emily said, "Tyler and Jody are always planning pranks."

Ryan laughed, and Emily was pleased to see him almost happy.

"Still gonna kick me out of your room if I try to help?" Emily asked playfully, as they entered the hallway.

"Yeah," Ryan said, "Sorry." He grinned at her before disappearing up the stairs to his room.

* * *

Harry gathered Finn and the twins in his room. They sat on the boys' beds and leaned in to hear his plan.

"So, Emily's leaving really soon," he said.

"We have to do something before she goes," Toni put in.

"Are you sure?" Finn said dubiously, catching their meaning.

"I'm definitely sure," Harry said determinedly.

"It's definitely there," Billie agreed.

"We should make sure," Toni said.

"Does Floss still have that police kit?" Billie asked.

"No, they had to return it," said Finn.

"That didn't exactly turn out that well last time," Toni said doubtfully.

"That's because Carmen and Jody don't actually _like_ each other," Harry put in.

"We'll have to get handcuffs somehow, otherwise the plan won't work," said Billie.

"We'll think of something," said Harry. "It's gonna be great."

* * *

 **What _are_ those kids up to?**

 **NEXT TIME, ON ' _GOING HOME_ '...**

 **What will Emily think of the foster parents?  
Who will the little kids recruit in putting their 'plan' into action?  
Which one of the kids will put Emily's foster placement at risk?  
**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Catch the next chapter soon... (most likely on Sat/Sun, I'll try) xxx**


	21. 21: Who Would Want You?

**Hey, readers!**

 **Thank you so much for 90 reviews! *squeals***

 **I started writing this chapter last week so I would upload it on time, hope you like it!**

 **Today's special mention goes to 'doodledreamer' who's left lovely reviews recently, thank you x**

 **I can't believe I've written more than 20 chapters now, how did that happen? #When you're halfway there# (Well, not sure how many chapters yet...)**

 **Prepare for mischief, mayhem and the unexpected…**

 **Enjoy, guys xx**

* * *

 **LAST TIME, ON '** ** _GOING HOME_** **'...**

 **Mike tells Emily about her foster placement and Emily bonds with the twins.  
Emily learns more about Ryan when he confides in her.  
The little kids recruit the expert prankster, Tyler, to help with their plan.**

* * *

Chapter 21: Who Would Want You?

Saturday morning came quickly and Emily felt like she hadn't slept a wink. She would be meeting her foster parents today. Never in all her life, had she felt so nervous. Mr and Mrs Marlborough, huh? Whoever they were.

Emily pushed back the covers and sat up. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her messy hair back from her face. Too bad she hadn't had time to redecorate the box room. Those rainbow stripes were really starting to get on her nerves. Maybe she would be able to decorate her new room…

She stood up and opened her wardrobe. She would have to actually try to look nice today, seeing as the couple were rich and all. She had to be persuasive, without looking clingy. Sure, she wouldn't have minded staying at The Dumping Ground until her dad was better, but it would be nice to just pretend that she had normal parents. Plus, it looked like they would buy stuff for her, right?

Emily decided to grab a quick shower before choosing her clothes. She went out into the corridor, grabbing the blue dressing gown as she went. Heading towards the bathroom, she passed Tee on the way back to her own room. The blond girl paused and looked at her.

"Foster parents coming today?" Tee asked.

"Um, yeah," said Emily, turning to look at the older girl.

"Well, good luck with that," she said snippily, before going down the corridor and into her room.

" _Well, good luck with that,_ " Emily mimicked before going into the bathroom to have her shower. What was with Tee lately? Johnny had left on Wednesday but she seemed to have a personal grudge against Emily, for some reason. Emily remembered that she hadn't replied to Johnny's text, or her mum's for that matter. She kept forgetting she even had a phone since she was so unused to it. She would have to reply to both messages later.

After taking a shower and washing her hair, Emily excited the bathroom and made her way back to her room. Not happening to meet anyone on the way, she closed her door behind her and looked through her clothes. Her mum had indeed bought her all the basics, and more. Emily opened a pack of black tights and threw a pair on her bed. She looked through the dresses she had. She still had the green and blue dresses from her house, plus two more her mum had bought for her. Deciding the black and white patterned one was a bit loud, she pulled out the plain black one.

She got dressed and looked in the mirror. The black dress was sleeveless and had a square neckline. The cotton material fell to just above her knees and went out slightly at the waist. It went well with her black tights, and Emily pulled on her white spotty converse to avoid wearing just the one colour. She hummed a song under her breath as she towel dried her hair and twirled the locks to make the curls more prominent. There was a knock at her door.

"Come in!" she called. The door opened to reveal Ryan, who poked his head through the gap. His eyes widened momentarily at Emily's neat and girly appearance. "Yes?" she questioned, turning to face him.

"Ehm, uh," he rambled, pausing for a second. "Mike wants to speak t' yeh, and you should grab some breakfast."

"Right, OK," she said. "Do you think this is OK to meet the foster parents?" she looked slightly worried.

"Fine," he said evasively. "Would've gone for all black, though," he added, glancing down at her shoes. Emily's gaze fell to his black converse and she smiled.

"Thought it might have been too much," she said with a grin.

"Yeh, maybe," he muttered, returning the grin. She picked up her towel and followed him out of the room. Ryan went downstairs and Emily went back to the bathroom to return her towel.

"You look nice!" she heard Mo exclaim, as Emily came out of the bathroom. She smiled at him. He was wearing a collared shirt, as per usual, and beamed at her from behind his large glasses.

"Thank, Mo," she said.

"Are the foster parents coming today?" he asked in surprise.

"Oh, so I don't normally look nice?" Emily joked.

"No, I didn't mean-"

"I'm just kidding, Mo," she assured him. "Yeah, Mike said they're coming today."

"Well, good luck," he said sincerely, before going down the corridor.

Emily walked down the corridor past the girls' rooms.

"You going to a funeral?" Carmen called.

Emily stopped outside her room and looked in. Carmen was wearing bright pink jeans and a pale blue jacket, with a sparkly necklace. Emily smiled slightly. Carmen stood up and ushered her into the room.

"Carmen can't resist giving style advice," Kaz remarked from where she was sitting on her bed, reading a book. In contrast to Carmen and the rest of the room, Kazima was wearing an inconspicuous camo-green top with blue jeans.

"No, I don't need-" Emily began.

"Say no more," Carmen commanded, looking Emily's outfit up and down. "It's already quite classy, but we're severely lacking in colour."

She opened her wardrobe and looked through the pile of colourful scarves she owned. Emily started to back out of the room but froze when Carmen looked at her. The older girl produced a dark green scarf from the bottom of her pile and held it up. She grinned suddenly and went to Emily, looping it loosely around the younger girl's neck.

"It's perfect," Carmen said, clapping her hands together.

"Be glad she didn't make you wear hot pink," Kaz said wisely, earning a glare from Carmen.

She took Emily by the shoulders and led her to the wall mirror. The green scarf complimented Emily's hair and pale skin, and even brought out her green eyes. She smiled at her reflection. Carmen looked at her knowingly, all disagreements apparently forgotten.

"It is nice," Emily admitted.

"It's well nice," Carmen insisted, "Tell you what – if they want to foster you, you can keep the scarf."

"Really?" Emily said in surprise.

"Yeah," Carmen said with a shrug, "Green's not really my colour anyway."

"Oh, thanks," Emily mumbled. "I'd better get some breakfast, and find out what Mike wants to speak to me about."

"Yeah," Carmen agreed, "Oh, you don't wear earrings, do you?" she added, wanting to style Emily's outfit even further.

"No, sorry," Emily admitted, leaving the room. It was lucky really, she didn't fancy spending longer than necessary exchanging style tips with Carmen.

"Well, it's still not fair," she heard Jody say, "I've been here way longer."

"No one cares, Jody," Ryan snapped, coming out into the hallway and almost smacking into Emily.

"What's going on?" Emily asked him.

"Don't talk to Jody this morning," he advised, leading her straight through to the kitchen. She grabbed a cereal bar from the cupboard and unwrapped it. She noticed the twins, Harry and Finn staring at her and Ryan.

"What?" she asked. Ryan just shook his head. Tyler came into the kitchen with a grin.

"Oh, hey, Emily," he said. "Be sure to recommend my good humour if you don't want to get fostered today."

"Sorry, what?" she uttered, confused.

"Yeah, good luck with that, Tyler," Ryan sneered.

"If they want a girl, they're welcome to foster me," Carmen put in, winking at Emily as she poked her head into the kitchen.

"Just ignore them, Emily," Billie advised, and Toni nodded in agreement.

"Well, I don't fancy getting fostered," said Harry, "Not even if they're rich."

Emily frowned. "Want me to put in a good word for you, Ryan?" she remarked, glancing at him. "Like I could think of one," she added in an undertone, tossing her wrapper in the bin, growing slowly more annoyed.

"Yeh what?" he retorted. "You're only getting fostered because it was an 'emergency'." He made quotation marks in the air.

"So, no one would foster me otherwise, is that what you're saying?" she demanded.

"Yeah," he said with a shrug, making a face that said ' _yeah, and?_ '

"Well, I am _so_ surprised that you haven't got fostered since you got here," she said, "I mean, you've been in care for ages. What did you do to put them off?" It was just her nerves talking now, and Emily knew she would regret it all later.

"Yew don't know what yer taking about," he said darkly. Tyler glanced at the pair of them and backed out of the room. Bailey came in but Tyler pushed him back out into the garden. The little kids exchanged a few glances before quickly leaving the kitchen. Jody came in and glanced at Emily and Ryan.

"Whatever," said Emily. "I'm going to see what Mike wants."

"They've probably cancelled," he called after her, "Who would want _you_?"

Emily stormed out of the room, leaving Jody in her wake. The shorter girl folded her arms and looked at him. He looked affronted and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that was mean," she said bluntly, grabbing an orange from the fruit bowl.

"It's true, though," he lied, a plan forming in his mind. "You've got a fair chance today. Try to impress them while you've got the chance, Jodes. You'll see," he added mysteriously, leaving the room. A smirk came onto his face as he glanced back to see Jody thoughtfully replace the orange in the fruit bowl. It would work, all right. Like any of his plans would fail.

"What did you want to speak to me about, Mike?" Emily asked, poking her head around the office door.

"Ah, Emily," he said, taking off his glasses. "I just wanted to tell you that your foster parents will be coming to meet you at twelve today."

"Isn't that lunchtime?" she asked mildly.

"May-Li will fix you an early lunch," said Mike, "Or you could just eat afterwards. Thought it might be easier with the rest of the kids occupied…"

"Yeah, that makes sense," said Emily, giving a small smile.

"You looking forward to meeting them?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Emily replied, "I am, actually. It will be… interesting."

"That's certainly one work for it," Mike chuckled, "Let's just hope it's not _too_ interesting, shall we say?"

Emily nodded and smiled. "Well, I'll be back later, then."

"Yeah, see you, Emily," Mike replied, watching the shy girl leave the office.

Emily went to her room and opened the drawer full of make-up that her mum had bought her. She picked up her phone from the table and replied to her text messages.

 _Hi, Mum. I've been really busy too. See you soon xx_

And to Johnny:

 _I'm OK, don't know what you mean about Ryan, but he's the same as ever. Hope to see you as soon as you're on leave x_

She hesitated before sending Johnny's text. Should she have put a kiss at the end? Well, _he_ had. She shook her head and put her phone on the table before gathering up the makeup supplies.

Emily sat down in front of the mirror and laid out the products in front of her. She had foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner… no way did she need all this stuff. She set aside the mascara, concealer, blush and powder and put the rest away. She applied a little concealer under her eyes and attempted to blend it in. It was a bit like painting, really. Emily had covered up her dark circles, added a ghost of a blush to her cheeks and put on the tiniest bit of mascara. She looked at the powder and decided to dust a bit all over her face. It got rid of that teenage oily skin, anyway. She knew, based on how she'd seen girls wear makeup at school, how not to do it, and she thought that less is more.

"Tyler?" Harry called, knocking on the boy's bedroom door, "Tyler!"

"Where's the fire?" Tyler demanded, throwing the door open.

Harry grinned at the older boy. He was standing, with Finn and the twins, right outside Tyler's bedroom door. The boy with afro hair looked at the four younger kids that were staring at him. He frowned.

"Have your magic cards lost their touch?" he asked. The kids shook their heads. "Has someone actually disappeared inside a magic box?" he tried.

"No," said Harry.

"We need your help," Finn said.

"Well, go ask someone else," said Tyler, moving to shut the door.

"It's for a prank," said Toni.

"Well, sort of a prank," Billie muttered.

"Well, then," Tyler said expansively, "You've come to the right guy." He ushered them into the room and shut the door.

Lunchtime came and Emily brushed her teeth before going downstairs. She hadn't had any replies to her texts, naturally; Johnny would be too busy and her mum would have something better to do. Emily went downstairs at quarter to twelve, where the some of the kids were helping prepare lunch.

"Are you hungry, Emily?" May-Li asked. Emily shook her head. "I'll fix you something after they've gone, then." Emily just nodded. Mike came in, ushering the rest of the kids through to the kitchen.

"Where's Tyler?" he asked.

"And Harry and Finn," said May-Li.

"And the twins," Tee added.

"We're here," Tyler said quickly, escorting the younger kids into the kitchen. Everyone sat down at the table, except Emily, who stood there awkwardly.

"Ah, Emily," said Mike. "If you'd like to wait in the quiet rooms until Mr and Mrs Marlborough arrive…"

"OK," Emily mumbled, following Mike out of the room.

Jody was still missing from the table. She arrived in the kitchen, wearing her best jeans and a bright purple t-shirt, her hair in two braids.

"Woah," said Bailey.

"Who are you and what have you done with Jody?" Tyler demanded. Jody said down opposite him.

"Nothing wrong with looking nice," said Jody.

"Just in case they don't like Emily, is it?" Carmen said, not looking impressed.

"Good thinkin'," Ryan said smugly. "You've got a fair chance."

"How can you say that?" Carmen said. "I thought you and Emily were friends."

"Says who?" Ryan defended.

"Well, you've changed your tune," said Tee.

"I suppose yew want Emily to get fostered?" he asked her. "Don't want some rich parents for yourself?"

"I already have a mum, thank you," Tee said hotly.

"All right," May-Li said. "Let's just talk about something else, yeah?"

The kids shut up and started eating.

There was a knock at the door and Emily started from her seat in the quiet room. She went out into the hallway to see Mike opening the door on two people. The man was tall and slim, wearing a black suit, white shirt and green tie. He had greying brown hair and bright blue eyes. His wife had dark brown hair and tanned skin, and she wore a pale blue blouse with a black blazer and pencil skirt, complete with shiny black heels. Mike gestured to Emily.

"This is Emily," he said, and the couple smiled at her. She felt herself smiling back, because they seemed really nice at a first glance.

"Hello, Emily," said the woman, "I'm Shelia, and this is my husband Phillip." He raised a hand in response.

"Well, shall we?" said Mike, leading the way into the quiet room. The couple sat on the sofa opposite Emily and Mike.

"Maybe you could tell us about yourself," Shelia suggested. Emily nodded.

"Well, I'm thirteen and I like the colour green, writing stories, and my favourite food is lasagne," she reeled off, not sure of what else to say.

"Writing?" said Shelia, "That's very creative."

"Sheila makes an amazing lasagne," Phillip put in. "I'm sure she would love to cook it for you."

"Yes, that would be lovely," said Shelia.

"So, tell me a bit about you guys," Emily suggested.

"Well, I work for a publishing company," Phillip explained, "I get to read a lot of stuff, so I know what's the best. I like playing golf, and I also like the colour green." He smiled, gesturing to his dark green tie. "I'd like to read your writing some time."

"It's kind of private," Emily said awkwardly, "At the moment, anyway."

"I understand," he said with a nod.

"Well, I work in a bank," said Sheila, "So it can get quite busy at times! I love to cook, read and watch historical dramas."

 _Wow, could these people get any more perfect?_ Emily wondered.

"Me, too," said Emily, "I really liked Pride and Prejudice when I saw it, and I read a lot of books when I can."

Shelia nodded. "The BBC one? Yes, that one was really well made. What kind of books do you like?"

"I really like fantasy," said Emily, "I like how different worlds are created. I also like Sci-Fi, even though it's not realistic."

"Well, I could recommend many good sci-fi books," said Phillip, "I especially like the ones based on actual science."

Emily nodded.

"So, do you two have any kids?" she asked, realising that she didn't even know this.

"Yes, we have a son," said Phillip.

"But he's always away at boarding school," Sheila put in. "He's seventeen now."

"Oh, right," said Emily. "Would I have to go to boarding school?" she asked, worried that she might be sent away and not able to see any of her new friends.

"No, dear!" Shelia laughed. "You could attend the local Comprehensive if you choose to live with us."

"Oh, OK," she said with a smile.

"That's a lovely scarf, by the way," Sheila said generously.

"Oh, um, thanks," Emily said shyly. "Carmen lent it to me?"

"Carmen?" Phillip asked.

"Carmen is one of the other girls who lives here," Mike explained.

"Yeah, she's really nice," said Emily, "And she's really into fashion."

"Well, so is Shelia," Phillip laughed.

"Very funny," Shelia said, rolling her eyes.

"Tyler, one of the boys here, is really funny," Emily said. "He does magic tricks as well."

Mike looked at Emily, wondering what she was up to.

* * *

"I reckon she's in with a chance," Tyler said decidedly. Back in the living room, the kids were discussing Emily, and what could be going on with the foster parents.

"Got an admirer, has she?" Carmen joked.

"Another one you mean," Harry laughed.

"Aw, what's cute, Harry," Carmen said, completely missing his point. Tee however, looked suspicious as Ryan avoided everyone's gaze.

"What are they like then?" Finn wondered.

"Did anyone actually see them?" Kaz asked.

"Yeah, did they look rich?" Mo questioned.

"I did!" Floss announced, flopping on the sofa next to Harry.

"Well, tell us," Ryan demanded, looking awkward when all the kids looked at him.

"The man was tall and was wearing a black suit," Floss said.

"He could have just been dressing smart to make a good impression," Mo reasoned.

"And the lady?" Tee pressed.

"Assuming it wasn't another man," Tyler joked.

"Seriously?" Ryan said bluntly.

"Are you saying there's something wrong with it?" Tyler demanded.

"No, you idiot," Floss said loudly, "Mike called them Mr and _Mrs_ Mallory."

"Marlborough," Jody corrected stoutly.

"Yeah, not two Misters!" Harry laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Tyler muttered.

"Anyway, as I was sayin'," Floss interrupted noisily, "Before I was so rudely interrupted by Tyler." She threw him a glare.

"Well?" Jody said loudly.

"The lady was wearing a black skirt with a black jacket," Floss said with a shrug. "And her shoes were shiny."

"Well, that's helpful," Jody scoffed.

"What kind of skirt was it?" Carmen pressed.

"I don't know, it was like that," Floss replied, gesturing straight lines down with her hands.

"A pencil skirt," Carmen exclaimed, "You could have just said!"

"I did!" Floss said indignantly.

"Well, was she wearing anythin' expensive?" Bailey asked.

"Yeah, like a necklace or sumfing?" Tee put in.

"She was wearing a sparkly necklace and earrings," said Floss. "A bit like the ones your mum bought you." She looked at Carmen. The older girl looked thoughtful. She went over to the computer, which was already on, and began to search.

"Well, if you want to see how rich they are," said Bailey, "Just look at their car!"

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jody said in annoyance.

The little kids rushed to the window, followed by Ryan, Tee and Jody, who pushed to see outside. The car outside was a sleek black with tinted windows. Bailey glanced over from where he was perched on the arm of the sofa. He gave a nod.

"That's a BMW," Bailey said.

"Well, they're certainly not short of a bob or two," Carmen said wryly, looking up from the computer. "I looked up the most expensive necklace and earring set my mum ever got me. Come here, Floss." The ginger girl clambered down from the window ledge and went over to look at the screen.

"That's over a hundred quid!" Floss yelled.

"Yeah, but was it the one?" Carmen demanded impatiently.

"Yeah," said Floss, shrugging and going back to sit down.

"You have a necklace that's worth one hundred pounds?" Ryan asked quickly, about seven different ideas forming in his head.

"None of you is having it, so hands off," Carmen said sternly, turning off the computer screen. "Especially you, Tyler."

"Why me?" Tyler asked innocently, putting both hands up.

"You tried to pawn the computer, remember," Kaz said.

Tyler looked guilty as Ryan glanced away with a smirk. The curly haired boy muttered something about it being a win-win situation and having to do community service. Floss noticed Harry whispering something to Billie, who then nodded at Toni. The ginger girl's eyes narrowed.

"What's goin' on?" she challenged.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"With you four," said Floss. Tyler shook his head at them. "You're planning something."

"No, we're not," Toni said.

"Yes, you are," said Floss. "I want to help."

"You can't," Billie said quickly, but looked guilty as she exchanged a glance with Harry.

"That's not fair," Floss said.

"Life's not fair," Harry said with a shrug.

"And we're not planning anything," Finn added. The older kids watched with interest. Ryan leaned on the doorframe to the living room, rapidly losing interest in what the other kids were doing. He had inched closer to the hallway, in hope that maybe he could overhear what Emily was talking to the foster parents about.

"You're planning something without me," Floss said angrily, "And I'm going to find out." She stood up and stormed out of the room, knocking Ryan off balance.

"Hey, what's going on?" May-Li asked, coming out of the office and seeing Floss stomp up the stairs.

Ryan's centre of gravity felt nonexistent. He grabbed what he thought was the shelf, but was only a pile of books which he pulled off. To make matters worse, the worn soles of his shoes slipped on the hallway laminate flooring, bringing him crashing to the ground, covered in books. There was a moment of silence before many of the kids broke out in laughter. Ryan scowled, wincing as he rubbed the top of his head which had been attacked by a heavy copy of Lord of the Rings.

Mr and Mrs Marlborough exchanged a glance as yelling could be heard from the living room, followed by a crash. Mike passed a hand across his forehead and Emily's gaze napped into the direction of the door.

Jody rushed over to the fallen boy and yelled, "Ryan, are you all right?"

Emily's eyes widened at the possibility of Ryan having made that awful noise. Was he OK? She sprung to her feet and Mike quickly opened the door to see what all the fuss was about. Emily rushed to the scene, oblivious to Jody slipping past her into the quiet room.

Ryan was sitting on the floor, having been handed an ice pack which he pressed to his head. Mike shook his head and sighed, seeing that Ryan had not been seriously injured. Bailey stifled a laugh as he and Tyler stood nearby. The little kids hovered anxiously in the living room. Jody, meanwhile, was in the quiet room.

"Hi," Jody said confidently. She eyed the couple that sat in front of her.

"Hello," said the woman, eyebrows raised slightly.

"I'm Jody," the girl introduced herself, shaking hands with both of them. "I live here too, I've been here ages, in fact."

"What was that all about?" the man asked, concerned.

"Yes, is the boy all right?" the woman wondered, "Ryan, was it?"

"Oh, he's fine," Jody brushed it off, "It was only a pile of books that fell, not Ryan."

They looked confused.

"One of the books fell on his toe, but it was a really light one," Jody said easily. "One of the little kids was worried, but no harm was done."

"Oh, well, that's all right, then," said the woman. "I'm Shelia, by the way, and this is Phillip."

"Pleased to meet you," Jody said cheerfully.

"Are you friends with Emily?" Phillip asked.

"No, not really," said Jody, "I used to be, but..."

"What happened?" Sheila asked, "Emily seems like a lovely girl."

"Yeah, but she turned out not to be as nice as she made out," Jody lied confidently. "I much prefer kind and genuine people, like you, so I can trust them."

Shelia frowned.

"I really like tennis, do you?" Jody went on.

"Yes, I'm always at the club," said Phillip.

"When you're not working, that is," Shelia said with a laugh. Jody smiled.

"Ryan, what happened?" Emily demanded, standing over the boy in the hallway.

"Like yew would care," he muttered, stretching his bruised arm.

"Ryan's fine," May-Li said, "Just a few bruises. How did you even manage to fall, Ryan?"

"And pull all those books onto of yourself," Mike added. Bailey chuckled loudly.

"Ehm, help clear these up, please," May-Li said, and Tyler bent to help Bailey collect up the books. Emily offered Ryan a hand to help him up, which he took. Staggering to his feet, he closed his eyes and momentarily lost balance, falling onto Emily, who nearly took a tumble herself. She pushed him up and gripped his arm. He shook his head and scowled at her, shrugging her off. He allowed May-Li to help him sit down, still holding the ice pack gingerly to his head.

"Floss knocked me over," he said feebly.

"You got knocked over by a little girl," Carmen said with a laugh.

"I was distracted," Ryan muttered.

"By what?" Tee asked.

"By _who_ , you mean," Harry said meaningfully. Ryan closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his face.

"You mean _whom_ ," Kaz corrected.

"Oh, come on, he's only nine," Mo defended.

"Come on, Emily," said Mike, "The Marlboroughs will want to be going soon."

"All right," Emily said, tearing her gaze away from the moody boy that she had once almost called a friend. No, she had called him a friend...

"Hey, what's going on?" Mike asked, coming into the quiet room to find Jody; Jody in purple and with plaits.

"I was just explaining that everything's fine," said Jody. "They're really nice." Sheila and Phillip exchanged a smile.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, Jody," said Sheila. Jody grinned and left the room. Emily almost walked into her as she made her way back to the quiet room, after she had made sure Ryan was OK.

"What were you doing?" Emily demanded.

Jody just shrugged and went past her.

"Well, Emily's a bit unsettled at the moment," Mike was saying. "One of her friends took a nasty fall, involving a hardback copy of the Lord of the Rings." Mike shook his head, still wondering how Ryan had managed it.

"Oh, I thought the boy wasn't hurt too badly," said Sheila.

"Oh, he isn't," Mike assured them.

"Um, sorry," Emily mumbled, coming into the room.

"It's all right," Phillip said kindly, "You're obviously concerned for your friend."

Emily just nodded, though she doubted whether she would actually use that word at the moment.

"We'd best be going, then," said Sheila, getting up and shaking Mike's hand. "I was lovely meeting you, Emily," she added, turning to the shy girl and hugging her. Emily's eyes widened in surprise, but she hugged back, taking in the comforting smell of expensive, yet homely, scent. Shelia let go, and Emily shook Phillip's hand.

"We'd like to have a chat with you again, if that's all right," he said.

"Yes, we're really thinking about fostering you," said Shelia. "And you must think of yourself as part of the family."

Emily smiled. "That sounds really nice. When can I see them again?" she asked Mike.

"We'll arrange something right now," he assured her, leading Shelia and Phillip through to the office. Emily went around and lingered outside the door as Mike talked to the couple. When they were finished they, came out into the hallway, where many of the kids were waiting.

"Oh, hello," Sheila said cheerfully.

"You all right, son?" Phillip asked, leaning his head to see Ryan sitting on the sofa. Ryan gave an awkward smile and a thumbs-up.

"Well, goodbye, Emily," said Sheila.

"Bye," Emily called as Mike opened the door to let them out. The Marlboroughs gave one final wave before turning to go to their car. Mike closed the door and the questions began.

"Are you going to live with them then?"

"What were they like?"

"Are they as rich as they look?"

"Did they get you anything?"

"Did you put in a good word-"

"Enough, enough," Mike said, holding both hands up. The kids dispersed. Emily smiled and caught Jody's eye, who scowled. The shorter girl stormed up the stairs and Emily looked confused before going into the living room and flopping down on the sofa next to Ryan. She pulled off Carmen's scarf and glanced at the boy. He threw down the ice pack and leaned back.

"Looks like you've got this one in the bag," he remarked.

"Yeah, maybe," Emily said, and they lapsed into silence.

* * *

Jody was in her room, sulking. Tyler knocked on the door. When there was no reply, he just opened it. Jody glared at him.

"I've got an idea to cheer you up," he said.

"Go away, Tyler," she said, crossing her arms.

"OK, then," he said, turning to go, "But it did involve revenge on Emily… and Ryan."

"I'm in," Jody said quickly. "What is it?" Tyler grinned.

"Well, it involves those two," he explained, "Plus a pair of handcuffs…"

"But they hate each other," said Jody.

"Well, exactly," Tyler said with a shrug.

They exchanged a conspiratorial grin as they both knew what they were going to do.

* * *

 **NEXT TIME, ON** ** _'GOING HOME'..._**

 **(It's time, guys)**

 **Will the Marlboroughs keep their promise?  
Is Jody still jealous?  
And what will happen when two friends are handcuffed?**

 **EDIT: You know, I could have died, right? I'll update WHEN I CAN - I'm trying to do A Levels, and I have a life! The new series is fab, though :D xx**

 **EDIT.2: I AM CURRENTLY WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER! Sorry it's been sooo long xx**


	22. 22: Now We're Handcuffed

**A/N: Firstly, I am sooo sorry I didn't update this story for six months! But I've been sitting my AS exams which took up a lot of my time to study for and everything.**

 **I actually had to read through the last couple of chapters to remind myself of what was happening in the story. But here's another chapter (finally) for you all :)**

 **I just want to get this online so I won't do a LAST TIME or anything at the beginning of this chapter (feel free to read the previous chapter again to remind yourselves of what happened last time).  
**

 **Enjoy xxx**

* * *

Chapter 22: We Already Had A Connection, Now We're Handcuffed

Emily woke up, realising that it was already Sunday. She had met her new foster parents yesterday, which had been interesting. Emily was looking forward to meeting them again. It would be strange living with a new family but, in truth, Emily was already growing tired of living at the Dumping Ground. She was glad of the other kids around her, like Ryan and the twins, but the two weeks had dragged. She couldn't wait to get away from Tee, and even Jody was acting strangely ever since Emily's foster placement had come up. She had been foolish to trust her so quickly and believe they were friends.

"Emily?" a voice called from the other side of her bedroom door, followed by a knock.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"It's Mike, I just wanted to ask you something," the voice replied.

"OK," Emily called, pushing back the covers and jumping out of bed. Bright shafts of sunlight broke through the gaps in the curtains and Emily guessed she had slept in. She opened the door to reveal a smiling Mike.

"I didn't want to wake you, but it's getting a little late," he apologised.

"It's fine," said Emily, "What did you want to ask me?"

Mike came into the room and closed the door.

"It was just about this afternoon," he said.

"OK, what's happening this afternoon?" Emily asked.

"Well, Mr and Mrs Marlborough – Phillip and Sheila – wanted to know if they could take you out later," said Mike, "If you're OK with it, that is. I know it's a little rushed, but they're really excited to foster you."

Emily thought it over for a moment. "OK," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "I haven't even told you where they want to take you."

"They seem like nice people," said Emily quietly, "And even if they don't end up fostering me, I would like to spend more time with them."

"Good girl," said Mike, clapping her on the shoulder, "Well, they want to pick you up at thre, if that's alright?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine," said Emily, "Will you be coming too? I sort of guessed that was the rule."

"Yes, I will be joining you," said Mike, "Only as it's your second meeting with them."

"OK, well, I'd better get dressed and have some breakfast," said Emily with a shrug.

"All right, see you later," he said.

"Bye, Mike," Emily said with a smile. Mike grinned and left the room. Emily sighed, feeling weirdly happy. She grabbed her phone and headed down the corridor to the bathroom.

"Someone's looking happy," a snide voice remarked.

Emily spun round to face Ryan. He was still in his pyjamas, a loose grey t-shirt and red plaid bottoms. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded and a smirk on his face. Emily sighed and shifted her weight to one side.

"What's it to you?" she snapped, then hesitated, looking down. "Sorry," she mumbled, making some vague gesture. She turned on her phone as her smile found her way back onto her face.

"Foster parents taking yeh out?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Now Emily folded her arms.

"Mind me asking how you knew that?" she questioned.

He just shrugged.

"That smile on your face tells me all I need to know," he replied. "I also eavesdropped," he added.

"Lovely," Emily said dryly, turning to go into the bathroom.

"Have fun, by the way," he said, "Hope it lasts for yeh."

"Thanks," she said, turning to glance at him over her shoulder. He seemed genuine, and Emily guessed there was something personal in his comment.

Emily went used the toilet and washed her hands, looking at herself in the mirror. Her curly hair was a mess and after she dried her hands, she combed through her hair with her fingers. She picked up her phone from where she had left it on the counter and checked for messages. There was nothing from her mother; no surprises there.

She left the bathroom and almost bumped into Tee. The blonde girl was carrying a pink towel and her hair was tied back in two braids. She was still in her pyjamas and shot Emily a dirty look before going into the bathroom. Emily rolled her eyes and headed back to her room to get dressed.

Emily opened her wardrobe to try and choose what to wear. She had worn that black dress yesterday to meet Mr and Mrs Marlborough, well, Phillip and Sheila. Emily decided she should be less formal with them. It would feel too weird to keep calling them Mr and Mrs, and Emily couldn't very well call them Mum and Dad.

She sighed and put her hands on her hips. Two heads poked round Emily's door. Tyler stood in the corridor and motioned for the twins to enter Emily's room. They nodded and knocked on the open door.

"Yeah?" Emily asked, turning to see the girls standing there.

"Hi, Emily," said Billie.

"Hey, Billie," Emily replied, "Hey, Toni."

"What are you doing?" Toni asked.

"Trying to decide what to wear," Emily said exasperatedly.

"Going somewhere special?" Billie asked, exchanging a sly grin with her twin sister. They giggled.

"Yeah, actually," Emily answered, "My foster parents are taking me out."

"Oh," said Toni.

Emily turned back to her wardrobe and pulled out a couple of tops on hangers, looking at them.

"What about the prank?" Toni whispered to Billie.

"We can't do it today," Billie hissed back, "Won't it ruin it for Emily?"

"We could be doing her a favour," Toni argued, "It might be better if she stays here."

"And doesn't get fostered?" Billie whispered.

"What's going on?" Tyler hissed, coming up behind them.

"Nothing," Toni insisted.

"Just keep Emily busy this morning, until we can get her and Ryan together later," Tyler muttered, patting them both on the shoulder. The twins nodded.

"We can help," Toni piped up.

"Really?" Emily asked, as Tyler disappeared from view, "Any idea what I should wear to meet my foster parents?"

"Anything you like," said Billie.

"Are you sure?" Emily questioned, biting her lip.

"Whether they like you or not won't depend on what you wear," Toni said.

"All right," Emily mused, "Thanks, girls."

"You're welcome," Billie said quietly.

"We'll be downstairs," Toni said, linking arms with her sister and going off down the corridor.

Billie stopped her sister once they had rounded the corner.

"What?" said Toni.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Billie said worriedly.

"We're doing this _for_ Emily, remember?" Toni said bluntly.

"But she really wants to get fostered," Billie argued.

"Everyone acts like that," Toni said, "I thought you cared about Emily and Ryan's friendship."

"Of course I do," Billie said in a small voice.

"They were best friends, and now they've fallen out," said Toni, "So we have to fix it."

"I'm sure there could be another way," Billie mumbled.

"Saving Emily and Ryan's friendship is more important than some stupid foster family," her sister said snippily.

"You think you know everything," Billie hissed, "But you don't. You could ruin everything."

"Well, I'm going to stick with Tyler's plan, because it's going to work," said Toni angrily, "And Emily will thank me."

"Whatever," Billie muttered, turning down the corridor and going downstairs.

Emily sighed and pulled on her black skinny jeans and a dark green t-shirt. She left her hair down and pulled on a pair of socks, along with her white spotted converse. She walked quickly out of her room and bumped into Ryan's shoulder on her way down the corridor. She looked up in surprise.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"A'right," he muttered. She smiled, looking up at him. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"Did you sleep OK?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"Uh, yeah, fine," he rambled, "Why?" He shrugged and moved past her down the corridor. She followed him down the stairs and went through to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal.

"Hey, Emily," said Bailey, a football in his hands as he leaned on the counter.

"Morning, Bailey," she replied as she poured the milk.

"It's nearly afternoon," he remarked, glancing up at the clock. She just shrugged and put the milk away.

"Fancy a game?" he asked, "You were pretty good the other day." He bounced the ball in one hand.

Emily smiled, a little embarrassed. "Maybe later," she replied.

"All right, see ya," he replied, going out into the garden.

Emily finished her cereal and left the dishes in the sink. Having paid little attention to the rota, she had no idea whose turn it was to wash up the breakfast things. Tee came into the kitchen and glared at Emily. She raised her eyebrows at the older girl, wondering what it was she had done now.

"Oh, just make more work for me, then," Tee said angrily, crossing to the sink. She had gotten dressed and was wearing a pink sweater over a patterned dress. Emily glanced into the sink where her bowl and spoon were the only things in there.

"Sorry?" she asked, confused.

"It was my turn to do the breakfast dishes this morning," Tee said irritably, "And now you're just making my job even longer. I had already finished them before you ate breakfast."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Emily said sarcastically, "Maybe I just shouldn't eat altogether, would that help?"

"You think you're all it, don't you?" Tee accused, as Emily stepped away from the kitchen counter.

"Ha," Emily said shortly, "You can talk. You act like you own this place, you were jealous of me making friends with the twins like you own them or something, and don't think yourself so high and mighty. What would Johnny think? Oh, that's right, he's not here to protect little Tee anymore."

She knew this would set the blonde girl off.

Ryan stood in the kitchen doorway as he heard Tee and Emily arguing. He stepped out of sight but continued to listen. He smirked as he heard Emily's last statement. It sounded like something he would say.

Tee glared at her. "Don't think you're so perfect," she snapped, "Just because you're new and all, you can get the kids on your side and be all chummy with Ryan." Tee rolled her eyes. "I know you two will get up to, don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking around."

"Sneaking around?" Emily repeated, "Please." She folded her arms and leaned on the counter across from her. "Why do you care if I'm friends with Ryan, you jealous?"

Ryan smirked more widely as he heard that. Plus, Emily had said they were friends! Maybe there was still hope.

"No way," Tee shot back, "Just 'cause you're getting fostered by a rich couple, doesn't mean you're the best around here. You're just some weird girl with a weird dad who _needs help_. Just because he's not in prison doesn't mean he shouldn't be."

"You wanna say that again?" Emily demanded, taking a step forward. She set her jaw and her face grew hot. "You wanna try that again, Tee? Do you? At least I've got a dad!"

"Shut up!" Tee yelled.

"You shut up, you know nothing about me!" Emily retorted.

May-Li stepped in from the garden, a washing basket in her hands.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Nothing," Tee and Emily said loudly at the same time.

"Well, alright," May-Li said with a shrug, going through to the utility room.

"Hey, Tee," Carmen chirped, coming into the kitchen. Ryan cautiously followed, wanting to break up the argument before Emily got in trouble. "Had breakfast late, eh, Emily?" Carmen continued, eyeing the bowl in the sink. "Calm down, Tee, you've only got one extra bowl to wash!"

Ryan took Emily by the elbow. She started, turning to look at him, but he kept her elbow in a firm grip. He looked over at Tee, who looked like she wanted to hit Emily. He smirked.

"Don't lower the IQ of the whole room, Tee," he teased, "Better learn to keep your mouth shut."

Tee opened her mouth to speak.

"You'd better watch yourself," Emily warned, shutting the blonde girl right up. "I may not stick around here for much longer, but I know what it's like to be the lowest of the low, and don't think I can't knock you off your pedestal like you're trying to do to me."

Tee pursed her lips.

"What's going on?" Carmen asked, confused.

"Just setting some ground rules," Ryan answered smoothly, "Better watch what you say to Emily, eh, Tee?"

Tee looked scared at Ryan's unspoken threat.

"Don't make the mistake of being the bully," Emily warned, "Everyone may like you now, but just be careful."

"You heard her," Ryan added, before the two of them left the room.

"Are you scared of two thirteen year olds?" Carmen said with a laugh, "What were you saying to Emily, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter," Tee said quickly.

Ryan and Emily went into the living room and he held up one hand for a high five. Emily shifted her weight to one side and tilted her head to look at him. Ryan's hand wavered. She raised her eyebrows.

"Well, aren't yeh gonna give me a high-five?" he asked exasperatedly.

"What for?" Emily asked.

"Come on, Emily, I feel stupid with my hand stuck in the air," he said.

"Fine," she muttered, slapping his hand.

"I mean, I stopped you and Tee from hitting each other," he defended himself.

"I had it under control," Emily said, clenching her fists.

"You might have told yourself that, but I could see the signs," Ryan said wisely, "You were gonna hit her."

Emily scoffed. "No," she said, "I wasn't going to hit her."

"You heard all the stuff she said," he returned, "Even I would have hit her."

"Seriously?" Emily asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," he said simply, "You can't just go round sayin' stuff like that."

"You say stuff like that all the time," she argued.

"Saying stuff like that to _you_ , I mean," he said rolling his eyes.

"Oh," Emily said quietly, and they exchanged a grin.

Tyler had gathered Harry and Finn on the other side of the room.

"We've gone over the plan," he whispered, "Now, who's going to get in the sofa?"

Finn looked at Harry.

"Why do I have to do it?" Harry complained.

"Mate, you are the smallest," Tyler pointed out.

"Right, do it now, they're not looking over here," said Finn.

Tyler went forward and moved the sofa cushions out of the way. Harry climbed behind them and was concealed as Tyler and Finn replaced the cushions on the sofa. Harry's face could just be seen between the two big cushions and he didn't look impressed. Tyler checked that Emily and Ryan were still talking on the other side of the room.

"OK, stage one is underway," Tyler said quietly, "Finn, go and get the handcuffs from the attic. Take one of the twins with you."

Finn nodded as the twins came into the living room.

"One of you come with me to the attic to get you-know-what," he said.

"I'm not being involved in this stupid plan anymore," Billie said, going to sit on one of the beanbags.

"I'll come with you," said Toni, and she and Finn rushed upstairs.

They reached the attic and quietly entered. They immediately started searching for the handcuffs that had been shoved up in the attic instead of returned to the car boot sale. Finn found them in a box under the window. He held them up and grinned.

"Do you have the key?" Toni asked.

Finn nodded, showing her.

"What are you doing?" Floss demanded. She was standing in the doorway to the attic with her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Finn said quickly, hiding the handcuffs behind his back.

"Just go away," Toni added.

"No," said Floss, "I want to know what you're planning." She marched up to Finn and tried to pull the handcuffs out of his hands.

"We need these!" he said loudly.

"They're mine and I want to know what you're doing with them," Floss said.

"It's none of your business," said Toni, tugging on Floss's arm.

"Yes, it is, or I'm telling May-Li," Floss warned.

"Fine," Toni sighed, "It's Tyler's plan."

"It's to make Emily and Ryan friends again," said Finn.

"And you're handcuffing them together?" said Floss, "That's stupid."

"It will work," Toni said, "You saw what happened with Carmen and Jody, they're friends now."

"Yeah, after they wanted to kill me!" Floss exclaimed.

"It will work, Tyler said so," Finn said.

"Alright," Floss agreed, "It will be pretty funny. I guess you can borrow them."

"Thank you!" Toni exclaimed, taking Finn by the wrist. "We have to go," she added, as she and Finn ran out of the attic.

"And I was just looking for somewhere to practise my dancing," Floss complained.

"Tyler!" Toni hissed.

He ran over to them.

"You've got them?" he whispered. Finn handed them over. "Excellent," Tyler said, "Go and distract them."

Toni and Finn went over to where Emily and Ryan were standing. Tyler quickly went to where Harry was hiding in the sofa and handed him the handcuffs and key.

"You've got one chance," Tyler said, "Don't mess this up."

"I won't," Harry promised.

"This is going to be awesome!" Tyler exclaimed, sitting down next to the sullen looking Billie.

"Want to watch TV with us?" Toni asked.

"Uh, sure," Emily said with a smile. Ryan shrugged and smiled at her.

"We'll sit over here, and you can sit over there," Toni instructed, leaving Emily and Ryan to sit on the sofa where Harry was hiding.

Emily and Ryan sat down, and Harry peeked out from between the sofa cushions. Tyler gave him a nod. Emily found that her hands were shaking slightly and she clenched her fists, letting them fall to her sides. Ryan noticed this.

"Hey, don't be nervous," he said.

"I don't know what to expect later," she confessed, "I'm trying not to be nervous, but I just… ugh."

"I know what you mean," he said quietly, "I've been through it all before, but it gets easier."

"It does?" she asked, looking worried, "What if they don't like me this time?"

" _Please_ ," he said, placing his hand over hers where it rested on the sofa, "They already love you. Who wouldn't?"

Emily looked down and smiled. Ryan squeezed her hand comfortingly. Tyler looked at Harry and nodded quickly. Harry was swift to act, carefully enclosing each of their wrists in the handcuffs and locking them.

Ryan intertwined his fingers with Emily's and they smiled at each other. They turned their attention back to what was one the TV, but no one else was watching it. Tyler waited anxiously, fighting to keep the grin off his face. Harry gave him a thumbs-up.

"What you all lookin' at?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"You two got something to tell us?" Jody asked loudly, entering the living room. She was wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt and had her hair scraped back into her usual high ponytail.

Ryan quickly let go of Emily's hand and withdrew his hand, but was met by a metal clink sound.

"What the hell?" Emily demanded, holding up her hand that was handcuffed to Ryan's.

"Right, who's responsible?" Ryan said.

No one said anything. Tyler began to laugh, and Jody joined in. Ryan began to scowl, trying to free himself. He and Emily both fumbled with the cuffs, trying to get them off.

"All right, very funny," he said sarcastically, "Someone own up!"

"Who's got the key?" Emily said exasperatedly. She shook her wrist which was shackled to Ryan's. She took on a hopeless expression. Ryan shook his head and set his jaw.

"MIKE!" They both yelled at the same time.

"What's going on?" Mike asked, coming into the living room. He put his glasses in his shirt pocket and looked at them. "Ah," he said, "Someone tried the handcuff trick again, I see."

"Get it off!" Ryan whined.

"I can't go out with my foster parents like _this_!" Emily shrieked.

"All right, both of you just calm down," Mike said, holding out both hands. "Who's got the key? Floss, those were your handcuffs."

"I don't have the key," she said, standing up and folding her arms, "I didn't have anything to do with this."

Jody shot Tyler a sly glance and they slapped each other a high-five.

"Tyler?" Mike asked.

"I don't have the key," the curly haired boy replied with a shrug.

"Anyone going to own up?" Mike questioned. The whole room was silent.

"Right, I'm getting these off," Ryan said, standing up and causing Emily to be dragged to her feet.

"How exactly are you going to do that?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he said, starting to sound a little scared, "But I'm getting them off!"

"I thought you to liked each other," Jody commented.

"Not really helping, Jody," said Mike.

"Well, not that much," said Ryan.

"I don't think I could like anyone _that_ much," Emily added, starting to look a bit disgusted with the whole situation. Ryan took a few steps forward, taking Emily with him. Harry quickly climbed out of the sofa and handed the key to Tyler.

"Well, maybe we could find some wire cutters," Mike suggested. "May-Li!" he called, and she appeared in the living room doorway.

"What's going on?" she asked, then spotted Emily and Ryan. "Ah," she said, "Not again!"

"I know, right," Ryan said, scowling.

"Can you please help?" Emily pleaded, "I'm supposed to be going out with Phillip and Sheila!"

" _Phillip and Sheila,_ " Jody mocked.

"Here, thought you'd like the honour," said Tyler, pressing the small key into her hand. Jody quickly pocketed it, "This is all in aid of cheering you up, after all."

"Cheers, mate," she said, giving him a high five.

"Right, we're finding they key," Ryan said darkly, grabbing Emily's hand and dragging her out of the room.

"What happened to you?" Tee asked as Ryan came storming out of the living room, Emily in tow. She saw their faces and the handcuffs, starting to laugh. "Serves you right," she said, "you idiots." She looked smug.

"Oh, get lost, Blondie," Ryan snapped.

"Yeah, you are literally too stupid to insult," Emily drawled as she ran up the stairs after Ryan. Tee rolled her eyes and went into the living room.

"Can everybody look for the key, please," Mike asked, "It's a very important day for Emily."

"So?" Jody said.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" May-Li asked her.

"Nope," the girl replied.

"I don't know, but I'm inclined to believe her," Mike muttered. "Someone needs to own up, now."

Everyone was silent. Mike shook his head and walked out. May-Li sighed and followed. Tyler grinned and he sprung up. He and Jody rushed out of the room and upstairs.

Ryan and Emily were in the attic, desperately searching for the key. Ryan turned over boxes and things were knocked to the floor as the two of them tried to coordinate their movements.

"This is just great," Ryan snapped.

Emily swore loudly. Ryan looked at her in surprise. She just shrugged.

"We need to find this damn key," she muttered.

"I always knew you two had a connection," Jody mocked from the attic doorway.

"You're behind this," Ryan seethed, "I know it."

"I would have loved to come up with this," she said truthfully, "But unfortunately this isn't my work."

"I hate you," Ryan and Emily said in sync.

They stared at each other and scowled.

"This is all your fault!" they screamed at each other.

"How is it my fault!?" Ryan demanded.

"Well, it's not mine!" Emily yelled, "How do I know you didn't set this up?"

"You think I want to be handcuffed to you?" he shouted. She thumped him on the shoulder. He batted her hand away.

Tyler and Jody laughed.

"Well, we'll just leave you two to it, then," said Tyler.

"See you later!" said Jody, "I think it's nearly lunchtime."

"Yeah, I'm starving," said Tyler. The two of them disappeared downstairs.

Emily rubbed her eyes.

"I hate this," she said, her arm limply swinging at her side.

"You're not the only one," Ryan muttered.

Emily tugged her arm, causing Ryan to lurch sideways.

"Ow!" he complained.

Emily sighed.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's all right," he said quietly.

"We already had a connection, now we're handcuffed," Emily muttered.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly. She flopped down on a beanbag. Ryan lost his balance as his wrist was pulled downwards and he fell on top of Emily. She wrinkled her nose under his black shirt, trying to push him off of her.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed.

Ryan scrambled away, smoothing his clothes with one hand. He ran a hand through his hair before sitting down on the beanbag next to her. He laid his head in his hands. Emily sighed again.

"I can't believe this happened," he said.

"How am I going to meet Phillip and Shelia later?" Emily fretted.

"Shut up about your stupid foster parents!" Ryan snapped. She looked at him, knowing that he was just upset about them being handcuffed.

She found a cushion on the floor and picked it up. She hit Ryan with it. He looked up in surprise, then shot her a sneaky smile. He picked up a cushion and hit her back. Their mini pillow fight ensued for a few minutes before they began to laugh.

"How we gonna get out of this, eh?" Ryan mused.

Emily hit him once more with the cushion.

"Hey!" he complained.

"Sorry, last one," she said. "But… I don't know. How long are we supposed to last like this?" She raised her wrist, and his, to make her point.

They stared at each other as they realised all of the implications of being handcuffed to someone for any length of time.

"Oh, no," they said in unison.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry again for the super long wait (please don't hate me too much). Please leave a comment so I know which of you guys are still reading this :)**

* * *

 **NEXT TIME:**

 _ **Will Emily and Ryan manage to find the key before Emily's day out?  
Will Billie speak up against Toni for what she thinks is right?  
And will Emily and Ryan come out of this hating each other, or closer than ever?**_

* * *

 **I hope to update very soon, as I know what's going to happen next chapter, and I'll have a lot of fun writing it, so keep a look out for Chapter 23! I should be updating regularly again, probably weekly :)**

 **See you guys soon! xxx**


End file.
